Defects in The Promotion of Tourism in India With Special Reference To Mice Tourism

DEFECTS IN THE PROMOTION OF TOURISM IN INDIA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO MICE TOURISM
1.1 INTRODUCTION
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Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four (24) hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited." Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. In 2008, there were over 922 million international tourist arrivals, with a growth of 1.9% as compared to 2007. International tourism receipts grew to US$944 billion (euro 642 billion) in 2008, corresponding to an increase in real terms of 1.8%. As a result of the late-2000s recession, international travel demand suffered a strong slowdown beginning in June 2008, with growth in international tourism arrivals worldwide falling to 2% during the boreal summer months. This negative trend intensified during 2009, exacerbated in some countries due to the outbreak of the H1N1 influenza virus, resulting in a worldwide decline of 4% in 2009 to 880 million international tourists arrivals, and an estimated 6% decline in international tourism receipts. Tourism is vital for many countries, ,and such as France, Egypt, Greece, United nations, such as The
States, Spain, Italy and Thailand
many island
Bahamas, Fiji, Maldives, Philippines and the Seychelles, due to the large intake of money for businesses with their goods and services and the opportunity for employment in the service industries associated with tourism. These service industries include transportation services, such as airlines, cruise ships and taxicabs, hospitality services, such as accommodations, including hotels and resorts, and entertainment venues, such as amusement
parks, casinos, shopping malls, music venues and theatres.
Etymology Theobald (1994) suggested that "etymologically, the word tour is derived from the Latin, 'tornare' and the Greek, 'tornos', meaning 'a lathe or circle; the movement around a central point or axis'. This meaning changed in modern English to represent 'one's turn'. The suffix 1|Page
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ism is defined as 'an action or process; typical behavior or quality', while the suffix, ist denotes 'one that performs a given action'. When the word tour and the suffixes ism and ist are combined, they suggest the action of movement around a circle. One can argue that a circle represents a starting point, which ultimately returns back to its beginning. Therefore, like a circle, a tour represents a journey in that it is a round-trip, i.e., the act of leaving and then returning to the original starting point, and therefore, one who takes such a journey can be called a tourist." In 1941, Hunziker and Krapf defined tourism as people who travel "the sum of the phenomena and relationships arising from the travel and stay of non-residents, insofar as they do not lead to permanent residence and are not connected with any earning activity." In 1976, the Tourism Society of England's definition was: "Tourism is the temporary, short-term movement of people to destination outside the places where they normally live and work and their activities during the stay at each destination. It includes movements for all purposes." In 1981, the International Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism defined tourism in terms of particular activities selected by choice and undertaken outside the home. In 1994, the United Nations classified three forms of tourism in its Recommendations on Tourism Statistics:
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Domestic tourism, involving residents of the given country traveling only within this country.

Inbound tourism, involving non-residents traveling in the given country. Outbound tourism, involving residents traveling in another country. World tourism statistics and rankings Most visited countries by international tourist arrivals World Tourism rankings In 2008, there were over 922 million international tourist arrivals, with a growth of 1.9% as compared to 2007. In 2009, international tourists arrivals fell to 880 million, representing a worldwide decline of 4% as compared to 2008. The region most affected was Europe with a 6% decline. The World Tourism Organization reports the following ten countries as the most visited from 2006 to 2009 by the number of international travellers. When compared to 2006, Ukraine entered the top ten list, surpassing Russia, Austria and Mexico, and in 2008,
surpassed Germany. In 2008, the United States displaced Spain from the second place. Most of the top visited countries continue to be on the European continent, followed by a growing number of Asian countries. In 2009, Malaysia made it into the top 10 most visited countries' list. Malaysia secured the ninth position, just below Turkey and Germany. In 2008, Malaysia was in 11th position. BothTurkey and Germany climbed one rank in arrivals, occupying seventh and eighth positions respectively, while France continued to lead the ranks in terms of tourist arrivals. International tourism receipts International tourism receipts grew to US$944 billion (642 billion) in 2008, corresponding to an increase in real terms of 1.8% from 2007. When the export value of international passenger transport receipts is accounted for, total receipts in 2008 reached a record of US$1.1 trillion, or over US$3 billion a day. The World Tourism Organization reports the following countries as the top ten tourism earners for the year 2009. It is noticeable that most of them are on the European continent, but the United States continues to be the top earner. 3|Page
History
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Wealthy people have always traveled to distant parts of the world, to see great buildings, works of art, learn new languages, experience new cultures and to taste different cuisines. Long ago, at the time of the Roman Republic, places such as Baiae were popular coastal resorts for the rich. The word tourism was used by 1811 and tourist by 1840. In 1936, the League of Nations defined foreign tourist as "someone traveling abroad for at least twenty-four hours". Its successor, the United Nations, amended this definition in 1945, by including a maximum stay of six months. Leisure travel Leisure travel was associated with the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom the first European country to promote leisure time to the increasing industrial population. Initially, this applied to the owners of the machinery of production, the economic oligarchy, the factory owners and the traders. These comprised the new middle class. Cox & Kings was the first official travel company to be formed in 1758. The British origin of this new industry is reflected in many place names. In Nice, France, one of the first and best-established holiday resorts on the French Riviera, the long esplanade along the seafront is known to this day as the Promenade des Anglais; in many other historic resorts in continental Europe, old, well-established palace hotels have names like the Hotel Bristol, the Hotel Carlton or the Hotel Majestic reflecting the dominance
of English customers. Many leisure-oriented tourists travel to the tropics, both in the summer and winter. Places of such nature often visited are: Bali in Indonesia, Brazil, Cuba, the Republic, Malaysia, Mexico the various Polynesian tropical islands, Queensland in Australia, Thailand, SaintRico in and the United Nevis, The
Tropez and Cannes in France, Florida, Hawaii and Puerto States,Barbados, Sint Maarten, Saint Kitts
Bahamas, Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba, Turks and Caicos Islands and Bermuda.
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Winter tourism
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Although it is acknowledged that the Swiss were not the inventors of skiing it is well documented that St. Moritz, Graubnden, became the cradle of the developing winter tourism: Since that year of 1865 in St. Moritz, many daring hotel managers choose to risk opening their hotels in winter but it was only in the seventies of the 20th century when winter tourism took over the lead from summer tourism in many of the Swiss ski resorts. Even in Winter, portions of up to one third of all guests (depending on the location) consist of nonskiers. Major ski resorts are located mostly in the various European countries
(e.g. Andorra, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Serbia,Sweden, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland), Canada, the United States (e.g. Colorado, California, Utah, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Montana, Vermont, New England) New Zealand,Japan, South
Korea, Chile, Argentina, Kenya and Tanzania. Mass tourism
High rise hotels such as these in Benidorm, Spain, were built across Southern Europe in the 1960s and 1970s to accommodate mass tourism from Northern Europe. Mass tourism could only have developed with the improvements in technology, allowing the transport of large numbers of people in a short space of time to places of leisure interest, so that greater numbers of people could begin to enjoy the benefits of leisure time.
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Jersey and Long Island, New York.
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In the United States, the first seaside resorts in the European style were at Atlantic City, New
In Continental Europe, early resorts included: Ostend, popularised by the people of Brussels; Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais) and Deauville(Calvados) for the Parisians; and Heiligendamm, founded in 1793, as the first seaside resort on the Baltic Sea. Adjectival tourism Adjectival tourism refers to the numerous niche or specialty travel forms of tourism that have emerged over the years, each with its own adjective. Many of these have come into common use by the tourism industry and academics. Others are emerging concepts that may or may not gain popular usage.
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Tourism in India
Every year, more than 3 million tourists visit the Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
The sixth-century paintings at the Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad, Maharashtra Tourism in India is the largest service industry, with a contribution of 6.23% to the national GDP and 8.78% of the total employment in India. In 2010, total Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTA) in India were 5.78 million and India generated about 200 billion US dollars in 2008 and that is expected to increase to US$375.5 billion by 2018 at a 9.4% annual growth rate. The majority of foreign tourists come from USA and UK. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are the top five states to receive inbound tourists. Domestic tourism in the same year was 740 million. Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra received the big share of these visitors. Ministry of Tourism is the nodal agency to formulate national policies and programmes for the development and promotion of tourism. In the process, the Ministry consults and collaborates with other stakeholders in the sector including various Central Ministries/agencies, the state governments and union territories and the representatives of the private sector. Concerted efforts are being made to promote new forms of tourism such as rural, cruise, medical and eco-tourism.The Ministry of Tourism also maintains the Incredible India campaign.
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According to World Travel and Tourism Council, India will be a tourism hot-spot from 20092018, having the highest 10-year growth potential. The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2007 ranked tourism in India sixth in terms of price competitiveness and 39th in terms of safety and security. Despite short- and medium-term setbacks, such as shortage of hotel rooms, tourism revenues are expected to surge by 42% from 2007 to 2017.[India's rich history and its cultural and geographical diversity make its international tourism appeal large and diverse. It presents heritage and cultural tourism along with medical, business and sports tourism. India has one of the largest and fastest growing medical tourism sectors.
Tourism by state
Andhra Pradesh
Charminar in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh Famous Buddhist centres in Andhra pradesh

Amaravathi Guntur District. Nagarjuna Konda Bhattiprolu. Mangalagiri Near to Vijaywada City. Ghantasala Krishna District. Nelakondapalli Krishna District. Dhulikatta Karim Nagar District. 8|Page
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Lingapalem West Godavari District. Pilgrim centres and temples:
Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple The abode of Lord Venkateswara, is the richest and most visited religious center (of any faith) in the world situated in Tirupathi City. Sri Kanaka Durga Temple One of the Shkati Peetam's situated in Vijayawada City. Sri Mallikaruna Temple One of the Jyothirlingam's situated in Srisilam Town. Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narashima Temple Situated at Simhachalam near to Vizag City. Sri Kalashastiswara Temple Situated at Srikalahasti Town. Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple known as china Tirupathi located at Dwaraka Tirumala Town. Sri Amaralingeswara Swami Temple One of the Pancharama's located at Amaravathi Town. Sri Someswara Swami Temple One of the Pancharama's located at Bhimavaram Town. Sri Kshira Rama Lingeswara Swami Temple One of the Pancharama's located at Palakol town. Sri Bhimeswara Swami Temple One of the Pancharama's located at Rama Chandra Puram Town. Sri Satyanarayana Swami Temple Located at Annavaram Town. Ramappa Temple Near to Warangal City. Thousand's of oldest temples are situated in Andhra pradesh. Attractions:
Charminar Center of the Hyderabad Old City. Golkonda Fort Largest and 400 years oldest fort. Makka Masjid Masjid in Hyderabad City. Ramoji Film City Largest Film City in the world situated in Hyderabad City. Kilash giri Mountain View along with beach side situated in Vizag City. Bhimili Beach Beautiful Beach near to Vizag City. Araku Valley known as Andhra Ooty near to Vizag City. 9|Page
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Borra Caves caves formed 1 million years ago situated near to Vizag City. Golkonda (Telugu: , Urdu: ) , a ruined city of south-central India and
capital of ancient Kingdom of Golkonda (c. 13641512), is situated 11 km west of Hyderabad. The most important builder of Golkonda was a Kakatiya King. Ibrahim was following in the spirit of his ancestors, the Qutub Shahi kings, a great family of builders who had ruled the kingdom of Golkonda from 1512. Their first capital, the fortress citadel of Golkonda, was rebuilt for defense from invading Mughals from the north. They laid out Golkonda's splendid monuments, now in ruins, and designed a perfect acoustical system by which a hand clap sounded at the fort's main gates, the grand portico, was heard at the top of the citadel, situated on a 300-foot (91 m)-high granite hill. This is one of the fascinating features of the fort.
Arunanchal Pradesh
Arunachal finds mention in the literature of Kalika Purana and Mahabharata. This place is supposed to be the Prabhu Mountains of the Puranas. It was here that sage Parashuram washed away his sin, sage Vyasa meditated, King Bhishmaka founded his kingdom and Lord Krishna married his consort Rukmini.The widely scattered archeological remains at different places in Arunachal bears testimony to its rich cultural heritage. Arunachal Pradesh, a serene land tucked into the North Eastern tip of India, invites you to relax in its picturesque hills and valleys, enjoy its salubrious climate and meet its simple and hospitable people, with their glorious heritage of arts and crafts and colourful festivals that reflect their ancient faith in the inexorable power of nature.
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Tawang Monastery
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Arunachal Pradesh is considered to be the "nature's treasure trove"and home to orchids, known for their exquisitely beautiful blooms, from one of the dominant taxa with more than six hundred species, occurring in varying elevations and climatic conditions throughout the state.
Assam
Indian Rhinoceroses grazing at the Kaziranga National Park. Assam is the central state in the North-East Region of India and serves as the gateway to the rest of the Seven Sister States. Assam boasts of famous wildlife preserves the Kaziranga National Park, which is home to the Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros and the Manas National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary (These first two parks are UNESCO World Heritage Site), the largest river island Majuli, historic Sivasagar, famous for the ancient monuments of Ahom Kingdom, the city of eternal romance, Tezpur and tea-estates dating back to time of British Raj. The weather is mostly sub-tropical. Assam experiences the Indian monsoon and has one of the highest forest densities in India. The winter months (October end half to first half of April) are the best time to visit.
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Bihar
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Mahabodhi Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site Bihar is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world with history of 3000 years. The rich culture and heritage of Bihar is evident from the innumerable ancient monuments that are dotted all over this state in eastern India. This is the place of Aryabhata, Great Ashoka, Chanakya and many other great historical figures. Attractions:

Patna The capital of Bihar, famous for its rich history and royal architecture. Gaya Known for Bodh Gaya the place at which Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment. Muzaffarpur Famous for its education. Kesariya Location of the world's largest Buddhist Stupa. Nalanda Location of one of the world's oldest university. Sasaram Tomb of Sher Shah Suri, the great Emperor of medieval India. Sonepur Cattle Fair The Sonepur cattle fair or Sonepur Mela, it is the biggest cattle fair of Asia and stretches on from fifteen days to one month. Takht Sri Patna Sahib One of the famous Sikh pilgrimage known for the birth place of Sikh's Tenth Guru Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. 12 | P a g e
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Darbhanga It is among the oldest cities of Bihar. Famous for the Maharaja forts and Kali Mandir. Munger Home to the only Yoga University in the world, Bihar School of Yoga. Religious places such as Shakti Peethas. Bihar is one of the most sacred places of various religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism & Islam. Famous Attraction includes Mahabodhi Temple, a Buddhist shrine and UNESCO World Heritage Site is also situated in Bihar, Barabar Caves the oldest rockcut caves in India, Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library the oldest library of India.
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a new state but with an ancient civilization, which can be felt by visiting the historical remains in the state. The state is blessed by nature with magnificent water falls, mountains, forests and wildlife. The Green State of Chhattisgarh has 41.33% of its area under forests and is one of the richest bio-diversity areas in the country. There are many tourist attractions worth seeing. Main attractions of Chhattisgarh are Chitrakot Waterfalls, Kutumsar Caves, Ramgarh and Sita Bengra, Bhoramdeo temple, Sirpur, Rajim, Ratanpur and Malhar.
Delhi
Lotus Temple Main article: Tourism in Delhi
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Delhi is the capital city of India. A fine blend of old and new, ancient and modern, Delhi is a melting pot of cultures and religions. Delhi has been the capital of numerous empires that ruled India, making it rich in history. The rulers left behind their trademark architectural styles. Delhi currently has many renowned historic monuments and landmarks such as the Tughlaqabad fort, Qutub Minar, Purana Quila, Lodhi Gardens, Jama Masjid, Humayun's tomb, Red Fort, and Safdarjung's Tomb. Modern monuments include Jantar Mantar, India Gate, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Laxminarayan Temple, Lotus temple and Akshardham Temple. New Delhi is famous for its British colonial architecture, wide roads, and tree-lined boulevards. Delhi is home to numerous political landmarks, national museums, Islamic shrines, Hindu temples, green parks, and trendy malls.
Goa
Goa is noted for its resorts and beaches. Main article: Tourism in Goa Goa is one of the most famous tourist destinations in India. A former colony of Portugal, Goa is famous for its excellent beaches, Portuguese churches, Hindu temples, and wildlife sanctuaries. The Basilica of Bom Jesus, Mangueshi Temple, Dudhsagar Falls, and Shantadurga are famous attractions in Goa. Recently a Wax Museum (Wax World) has also opened in Old Goa housing a number of wax personalities of Indian history, culture and heritage.
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reverberating music, and dance performances.
Gujarat
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The Goa Carnival is a world famous event, with colorful masks and floats, drums and
World's largest Temple Complex, there are more than 3000 temples located on the Shatrunjaya hills, exquisitely carved in marble. Gujarat, the seventh largest state in India, located in the western part of India with a coastline of 1600 km (longest in India). It is the tenth most popular state in the country for tourists with annual footfall of 18.9 million tourists.[11] Gujarat offers scenic beauty from Great Rann of Kutch to the hills of Saputara.Gujarat is the sole home of the pure Asiatic Lions and is considered to be one of the most important protected areas in Asia. During the Sultanate reign, Hindu craftsmanship mix with Islamic architecture, giving rise to the Indo-Saracenic style. Many structures in the state are built in this fashion. It is also the birth place of Mahatma Ghandhi & Sardar Vallabhai Patel, the great iconic figures during India's Independence movement. Gujarat offers many types of tourism like Business Tourism, Archeological & Heritage Tourism, Cultural Tourism, Religious Tourism, Wildlife Tourism, Medical Tourism and much more. Amitabh Bachchan is currently the brand ambassador of Gujarat Tourism. Ahmedabad is considered to a ideal hub to cover all the destinations across Gujarat.
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Haryana
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Haryana Pilgrim Destinations offers the devotes with a wide range of sacred places which are of considerable religious and historical significance. The pilgrim places of Haryana are thronged by devotees all over the year, who visit the important religious places in order to seek divine blessings and eternal happiness. The state of Haryana has a long historical and cultural tradition which is manifested in the numerous religious places which fills the tourist with an intense sense of satisfaction. Some of the notable "Pilgrim Destinations" of Haryana are:
Lord Krishna and Arjuna

Himachal Pradesh
The Himalayan landscape of Himachal Pradesh is ideal for out-door activities such as skiing 16 | P a g e
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Himachal Pradesh is famous for its Himalayan landscapes and popular hill-stations. Many outdoor activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking, paragliding, ice-skating, and heliskiing are popular tourist attractions in Himachal Pradesh.[12] Shimla, the state capital, is very popular among tourists. The Kalka-Shimla Railway is a Mountain railway which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Shimla is also a famous skiing attraction in India. Other popular hill stations include Manali and Kasauli. Dharamshala, home of the Dalai Lama, is known for its Tibetan monasteries and Buddhist temples. Many trekking expeditions also begin here.
Jammu and Kashmir
Main article: Tourism in Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu & Kashmir is known for its scenic landscape Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. Jammu is noted for its scenic landscape, ancient temples and mosques, Hindu and Muslim shrines, castles, gardens and forts. The Hindu holy shrines of Amarnath in Kashmir Valley attracts about .4 million Hindu devotees every year. Vaishno Devi also attract thousands of Hindu devotees every year. Jammu's historic monuments feature a unique blend of Islamic and Hindu architecture styles. Tourism forms an integral part of the Kashmiri economy. Often dubbed "Paradise on Earth", Kashmir's mountainous landscape has attracted tourists for centuries. Notable places are Dal Lake, Srinagar Phalagam, Gulmarg, Yeusmarg and Mughal Gardens etc. Kashmir's natural landscape has made it one of the popular destinations for adventure tourism in South Asia. 17 | P a g e
Karnataka
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Mysore Palace, illuminated for the Dasara festival. This receives 2.7 million tourists, second highest in India Main article: Tourism in Karnataka Karnataka has been ranked as fifth most popular destination for tourism among states of India. It has the second highest number of protected monuments in India, at 507.
Kerala
Kerala, nicknamed as "God's own country," is famous for its houseboats. Kerala is a state on the tropical Malabar Coast of southwestern India. Nicknamed as one of the "10 paradises of the world" by National Geographic, Kerala is famous especially for its eco-tourism initiatives. Its unique culture and traditions, coupled with its varied demography, has made it one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. Growing at a rate of 13.31%, the tourism industry significantly contributes to the state's economy. Kerala is known for its tropical backwaters and pristine beaches such as Kovalam.
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Popular attractions in the state include the beaches at Kovalam, Kappad, Muzhuppilangad, Cherai and Varkala; the hill stations of Munnar, Thekkady, Nelliampathi, Ponmudi and Wayanad; forts like the Bekal Fort in Kanhangad and St.Angelo's Fort in Kannur and the National Parks/ Wildlife sanctuaries at Periyar and Eravikulam . The "backwaters" region an extensive network of interlocking rivers, lakes, and canals that centre on Alleppey, Kumarakom, and Punnamada also see heavy tourist traffic. Heritage sites, such as the Hill Palace, Mattancherry Palace are also famous. Cities such as Kochi, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Trivandrum are popular centres for shopping and traditional theatrical performances. .
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh is called the "Heart of India" because of its location in the centre of the country. It has been home to the cultural heritage of Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. Innumerable monuments, exquisitely carved temples, stupas, forts and palaces are dotted all over the state. The temples of Khajuraho are world-famous for their erotic sculptures, and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Gwalior is famous for its fort, Jai Vilas Palace, the Tomb of Rani Lakshmibai, Md. Ghaus & Tansen. Madhya Pradesh is also known as Tiger State because of the tiger population. Famous national parks like Kanha, Bandhavgadh, Shivpuri, Sanjay, Pench are located in Madhya Pradesh.Kuno Palpur national park is getting African cheetas and is expected to become only reserve having four species of big cats (lion, tiger, leopord and cheetah). Spectacular mountain ranges, meandering rivers and miles and miles of dense forests offering a unique and exciting panorama of wildlife in sylvan surroundings.
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Maharashtra
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Mumbai is the most popular cosmopolitan city in India, famous for its architecture, shopping, gastronomy, and Bollywood. Maharashtra accounts for largest foreign tourists arrivals in India. Maharashtra is the most visited state in India by foreign tourists, with more than 5.1 million foreign tourists arrivals annually. Maharashtra boasts of a large number of popular and revered religious venues that are heavily frequented by locals as well as out-of-state visitors. Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus are the three UNESCO World Heritage sites in Maharashtra and are highly responsible for the development of Tourism in the state. Mumbai is the most popular cosmopolitan city in India, and a great place to experience modern India. Mumbai famous for Bollywood, the world's largest film industry. In addition, Mumbai is famous for its clubs, shopping, and upscale gastronomy. The city is known for its architecture, from the ancient Elephanta Caves, to the Islamic Haji Ali Mosque, to the colonial architecture of Bombay High Court and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. Maharashtra also has numerous adventure tourism destinations, including paragliding, rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, snorkeling, and scuba diving. Maharashtra also has several pristine national parks and reserves, some of the best ones are Tadoba with excellent accommodation and safari experiences besides little known by amazing wildlife destinations like Koyna, 20 | P a g e
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Nagzira (very small with incredible sightings), Melghat (disturbed with massive mining truck movement), Dajipur, Radhanagari and of course the only national park within metropolis city limits in the world Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The Bibi Ka Maqbara at Aurangabad the Mahalakshmi temple at Kolhapur, the cities of Nashik, Trimbak famous for religious importance and the city of Pune the seat of the Maratha Empire and the fantastic Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations together contribute for the Tourism sector of Maharashtra.
Meghalaya
Nohkalikai Falls Meghalaya has some of the thickest surviving forests in the country. Therefore constitutes one of the most important ecotourism circuits in the country today. The Meghalayan subtropical forests support a vast variety of flora and fauna. Meghalaya has 2 national parks and 3 wildlife sanctuaries. Meghalaya, also offers many adventure tourism opportunities in the form of mountaineering, rock climbing, trekking and hiking, water sports etc. The state offers several trekking routes some of which also afford and opportunity to encounter some rare animals such as the slow loris, assorted deer and bear. The Umiam Lake has a water sports complex with facilities such as rowboats, paddleboats, sailing boats, cruise-boats, water-scooters and speedboats. Cherrapunjee is one of the most popular tourist spots in North East of India. It lies to the south of the capital Shillong. The town is very well known and needs little publicity. A rather scenic, 50 kilometer long road, connects Cherrapunjee with Shillong.
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The popular waterfalls in the state are the Elephant Falls, Shadthum Falls, Weinia falls, Bishop Falls, Nohkalikai Falls, Langshiang Falls and Sweet Falls. The hot springs at Jakrem near Mawsynram are believed to have curative and medicinal properties.
Punjab
The state of Punjab is renowned for its cuisine, culture and history. Punjab has a vast public transportation and communication network. Some of the main cities in Punjab are Amritsar, Chandigarh, Patiala and Ludhiana. Punjab also has a rich Sikhreligious history. Tourism in Punjab is principally suited for the tourists interested in culture, ancient civilization, spirituality and epic history. Some of the villages in Punjab are also a must see for the person who wants to see the true Punjab, with their beautiful traditional Indian homes, farms and temples, this is a must see for any visitor that goes to India. Lonely Planet Bluelist 2008 has voted the Harmandir Sahib as one of the worlds best spiritual sites with over 100,000 pilgrims and tourists visiting on a daily basis. Since Amritsar is a big tourist spot, a lot of five star hotels are getting attracted to open up properties here. Hotel Ista has become very popular with nonresident Indian (NRI) community. New properties by Radisson and Taj are coming up in this city.
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Rajasthan
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Umaid Bhawan Palace Rajasthan, literally meaning "Land of the Kings", is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Northern India. The vast sand dunes of the Thar Desert attract millions of tourists from around the globe every year. Attractions:

Jaipur The capital of Rajasthan, famous for its rich history and royal architecture. Jodhpur Fortress-city at the edge of the Thar Desert, famous for its blue homes and architecture. Udaipur Known as the "Venice" of India. Jaisalmer Famous for its golden fortress. Barmer Barmer and surrounding areas offer perfect picture of typical Rajasthani villages. Bikaner Famous for its medieval history as a trade route outpost. Mount Abu Is the highest peak in the Aravalli Range of Rajasthan. Pushkar It has the first and one of the very Brahma temples in the world. Keoladeo National Park A UNESCO World Heritage Site Nathdwara This town near Udaipur hosts the famous temple of Shrinathji. Ranthambore Has one of the largest national parks in India.
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Sikkim
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Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world. Originally known as Suk-Heem, which in the local language means "peaceful home". Sikkim was an independent kingdom till the year 1974, when it became a part of the Republic of India. The capital of Sikkim is Gangtok, located approximately 105 kilometers from New Jalpaiguri, the nearest railway station to Sikkim. Although, an airport is under construction at Dekiling in East Sikkim, the nearest airport to Sikkim would be Bagdogra. The popular sightseeing places include Baba Mandir, Nathula Pass, Rumtek Monastery, Handicraft Shops and Tsangpo Lake. Sikkim is considered as the land of orchids, mystic cultures and colorful traditions. Sikkim is well known among trekkers and adventure lovers. Places near Sikkim include Darjeeling also known as the "Queen of Hills" and Kalimpong. Darjeeling, other than its world famous "Darjeeling tea" is also famous for its refined "Prep schools" founded during the British Raj. Kalimpong is also famous for its flora cultivation and is home to many internationally known Nurseries.
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Historic monuments
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The Taj Mahal is one of India's best-known sites and one of the best architectural achievements in India,located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh . It was built between 1631 and 1653 by Emperor Shah Jahan in honor of his wife, Arjumand Banu, more popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal serves as her tomb.
Fatehpur Sikri It was the first planned city of the Mughals and also the first one designed in Mughal architecture, an amalgamation of Indian architecture, Persian and Islamic architecture and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
Varanasi The ghats of one of the oldest city of the world. The Mahabodhi Temple is a 2000 year old temple dedicated to Gautam Buddha in Bodh Gaya, Bihar. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Nalanda is located in the Indian State of Bihar, was a Buddhist center of learning from 427 C.E to 1197 C.E partly under the Pala Empire. It has been called "one of the first great universities in recorded history." According to historical studies the University of Nalanda was established 450 C.E under the patronage of the Gupta emperors, notably Kumaragupta.
The Brihadishwara Temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu built by the Cholas. The temple is one of India's most prized architectural sites.
The Airavateswara temple is located in the town of Darasuram, near Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu.
The Shore Temple, along with the collection of other monuments in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu have been declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Harmandir Sahib is one of the most respected gurudwara in India and the most sacred place for Sikhs. The gurudwara is located in Amritsar, Punjab, India.
The Bah' temple in Delhi, was completed in 1986 and serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian Subcontinent. It has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles. (It is also known as the Lotus Temple.)
The Hawa Mahal in Jaipur also known as Palace of Winds. 25 | P a g e

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The Taj Mahal Palace is an icon of Mumbai. The Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, built during the British Raj. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai, built for Queen Victoria
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) in Mumbai is a train station built in Gothic architecture in honor of Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria.
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1.1 MICE Tourism in India
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MICE- the new form of business tourism is the fastest growing section of the International tourism market. It caters to various forms of business meetings, International conferences and conventions, events and exhibitions and is slowly but steadily capturing every big hotelier's attention. Being a hot favourite tourist destination, India is also very much into the business. After the hot-spots like Hong Kong, Malaysia and Dubai, India is fast gaining its pace in the competition to become an ideal MICE destination. With the advanced technology and facilities, warm hospitality, personalized services coupled with immense natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, the goal seems to be not very far. MICE tourism is the new buzzword in the international tourist market and relates to various business groups and individual travelers.
The importance of the MICE industry lies in the fact that it converts the annual business meetings and conferences into a glamorous and enjoyable event for the delegates and attendants. Be it a meeting to bring people together either from within one company or from a broader spectrum or an international conference of 100 delegates or product launch party or exhibition, MICE tourism finds itself being inevitable in all the occasions. To grow the business tourism in India, the country boasts of some world-class convention centres. The Ashok, New Delhi; Hyderabad International Convention Centre, Hyderabad; Le Meridien, Cochin are forerunner in the Indian MICE tourism facilitating both domestic and International level of business meetings and conferences.
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1.2 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
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Tourism industry in India is plagued with many problems. Infect despite declaration of tourism as industry the activity has not yet received that much of focus by the government and the private entrepreneurs. Private sector is still shy to invest in this activity. Lack of adequate infrastructure (transport, communication, banking, hotel etc) is the primary constraint in achieving the full potentials of our tourism. Many of our important tourist places are not connected by air. They also do not have good hotel and rest houses. The visa formalities are complex and delaying. The main drawback of the Indian tourism is the absence of participation by the people both in promoting and in benefiting from promoting the tourism potentials. The tourism sector has also complained of multiplicity of taxes and high level of taxation. Some of the international comparisons have shown Indian tourism sector to one of the highest taxed. Even the InterState tourist transporters are clamouring for rationalisation of taxes imposed by various State governments. The lack of sensitivity also has affected the ambience of most of the tourist attractions and has put tremendous pressure on the country's priceless heritage. About 5,500 heritage monuments protected by the Archaeological Survey of India and another 5,000 or so looked after by the State Archaeological Departments suffer seriously from lack of resources for maintenance. In the federal structure of India, the promotion of tourism is the responsibility of the State Government. The resource allocations by most of the states for the development of tourism sector have been meager (Rs. 300 crores by the states and Rs. 100 crores by the Centre). Many of the tourist centers lie in disturbed zones due to terrorist activities and law and order problem. This has badly reduced the tourist traffic to Jammu and Kashmir and North-East. Lack of safety in tourist places and hotels is also a matter of concern. The tourist guides are not well trained and educated to impress the foreign tourists.
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In the above mention reasons of Indian tourism loophole, the main drawback is due to defects in the promotion system, which is setting back a main market segment of leisure tourism as well as many untapped market such as MICE tourism which is already at maturity stage in many European countries.
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1.3 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
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1. The research includes the various classification of tourism practiced in India catering different segments of customers 2. The major analsyis is of mice tourism market, which is at new and untapped in many parts of india. 3. Analysis of promotional strategy adopted by Indian tourism board and other major tour operators.
From bustling modern metropolises to ancient temples, the high peaks of the Himalayas to the warm waters of the Arabian Sea, India is a colorful and diverse country popular with tourists from all over the world. Historic sightseeing, adventure travel and cultural vacations are all popular forms of tourism in India, and many of the country's top destinations enjoy international renown.
Outdoor Tourism The Indian subcontinent is a geographically varied land form that contains dense jungle, pristine coasts and the highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas. These mountains are among the most popular destinations on Earth for hikers, mountaineers and climbers, and they offer nearly endless possibilities for trekking adventures. In the lowlands, the forests of India are home to exotic wildlife, including the rare white tigers of Bandhavgarh National Park, and they are popular destinations for safaris and ecological tourism. The varied beaches of India are popular with surfers, divers, sailors and sun worshipers. Spiritual Tourism The birthplace of Buddhism and Hinduism and home to hundreds of monasteries and ancient temples, India may be the top destination in the world for spiritual tourism. The Tibetan Buddhist exile community in Dharamsala is home to the Dalai Lama and attracts soul seekers from across the globe. The holy city of Varanasi sits on the banks of the Ganges River and draws hordes of international tourists to its ghats and towering Hindu temples. Many modern 30 | P a g e
to study and meditate with the masters in the home country. Sightseeing Tourism
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international spiritual movements, such as Vipassana, are based in India and followers come
India is a popular country for historical sightseeing, and the country's thousands of years worth of monuments and architecture are some of the world's most spectacular. The Taj Mahal was built in the 17th century by a Mughal emperor in Agra and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 10th century Hindu temples of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh feature carved stone walls that depict the decant life of those times, including sexual encounters. Yoga Tourism A health phenomenon that has taken the world by storm, yoga is based on ancient Indian scriptures and practices, and many modern practitioners consider a trip to India the must-do trip of their life. The southern city of Mysore is home to several schools that teach Ashtanga yoga, and yoga ashrams can be found all over the country. Tourists come to partake in weeklong retreats, months-long certificate programs or even years of dedicated training. Leisure Tourism India is also a global hot spot for those who just want to party or relax. The seaside town of Goa hosts large parties and raves as well as a variety of festivals on its white sand beaches. Luxury resorts that offer all-inclusive holidays line the southern Goan coast and the idyllic Andaman islands. Adventure tourism As a kind of tourism in India, adventure tourism has recently grown in India. This involves exploration of remote areas and exotic locales and engaging in various activities. For adventure tourism in India, tourists prefer to go for trekking to places like Ladakh, Sikkim, and Himalaya. Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are popular for the skiing facilities they offer. Whitewater rafting is also catching on in India and tourists flock to
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places such as Uttranchal, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh for this adrenalinpacked activity.
Wildlife tourism India has a rich forest cover which has some beautiful and exotic species of wildlife some of which that are even endangered and very rare. This has boosted wildlife tourism in India. The places where a foreign tourist can go for wildlife tourism in India are the Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary, KalaDeo Ghana National Park, and Corbett National Park
Medical tourism Tourists from all over the world have been thronging India to avail themselves of costeffective but superior quality healthcare in terms of surgical procedures and general medical attention. There are several medical institutes in the country that cater to foreign patients and impart topquality healthcare at a fraction of what it would have cost in developed nations such as USA and UK. It is expected that medical tourism in India will hold a value around US$ 2 billion by 2012. The city of Chennai attracts around 45% of medical tourists from foreign countries.
Pilgrimage tourism India is famous for its temples and that is the reason that among the different kinds of tourism in India, pilgrimage tourism is increasing most rapidly. The various places for tourists to visit in India for pilgrimage are Vaishno Devi, Golden temple, Char Dham, and Mathura Vrindavan.
Eco tourism Among the types of tourism in India, ecotourism have grown recently. Ecotourism entails the sustainable preservation of a naturally endowed area or region. This is becoming more and more significant for the ecological development of all regions that have tourist value. For ecotourism in India, tourists can go to places such as Kaziranga National Park, Gir National Park, and Kanha National Park.
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Cultural tourism
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India is known for its rich cultural heritage and an element of mysticism, which is why tourists come to India to experience it for themselves. The various fairs and festivals that tourists can visit in India are the Pushkar fair, Taj Mahotsav, and Suraj Kund mela.
The types of tourism in India have grown and this has boosted the Indian economy. That it continues to grow efforts must be taken by the Indian government, so that the tourism sector can contribute more substantially to the nations GDP. continues to grow efforts must be taken by the Indian government, so that the tourism sector can contribute more substantially to the nations GDP.
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Mice tourism market
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India is not just one of the world's oldest civilizations, it is also the world's largest democracy, and has made stupendous progress among developing nations. India's impressive variety of history and culture, from the ancient Gangetic Kingdoms to the present state, harmoniously blend to form a unique atmosphere in over a million square kilometers of scenic sights. A continent-sized country, India possesses an amazing wealth of sights and sounds, tastes and textures. From a bustling cosmopolitan city to the quiet countryside, hill station or a beach resort, India has destinations, which offer a backdrop of unmatched beauty for a business meet. You will find a fascinating amalgam of tradition & culture, beauty & nature, style & splendour, warmth, feelings & courtesies, comfort & convenience virtually everything the modern conference organiser or delegate could expect. Conferences here bring fresh meaning of the concept of combining work with pleasure. What makes India different from any other destination is the myriad of experiences that it offers. This is one land where the ancient and the modern co-exist. India has literally everything that a visitor wants to experience and offers people a complete holiday both physical and mental. This is perhaps the reason why we have so many repeat visitors. To quote Mark Twain, "India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India."
Amidst the countless ways that India can capture world attention as a tourist paradise, there also exists a dynamic business opportunity as a splendid venue for international conferences and conventions of no less than global standards. India is undoubtedly a unique Conference Destination as it offers cultural and heritage sites, the exotic and mystical, excellent facilities of beach and adventure holidays which can be combined as pre and post conference tours. Enchanting India's image as a conference destination is also projected through the chains of hotels, providing international standards in facilities and services. Exclusive business hotels
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and exotic resorts, with meeting rooms of distinction, spacious convention facilities, modern business centers and a wide range of conference facilities, the different cities and places across the length and breadth of the country. India is in a continual process of upgrading its MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions) facilities. There are multiple plans on the anvil for more world-class convention centers, airports that contest with the best in the world and efforts to team the famous Indian hospitality with customisation as per a visitor's requirement. Promotional strategies The Indian tourism industry has been hit by a double whammy -- first the global slowdown and then the Mumbai attack. As a result, tourist arrivals declined for the first time in six years in November by 2.1 per cent, when compared with the same month a year earlier. This is against the good run that the tourism industry has had lately, clocking double digit growth for five years, leading to 5 million arrivals in 2007. Having already initiated an attractive 'Incredible India' promotional campaign, the tourism ministry can do little more than request foreign governments to issue travel advisories declaring India to be a safe destination. Most of the other solutions lie at home, but they will either take long to work out or action can begin only after there is some agreement. One effective solution is to lower luxury taxes. The tourism ministry has requested the finance ministry and the Planning Commission to work with state governments on this, but no one knows when any results will come, if ever. In this situation, the ministry has turned to what can be done quickly and requested hotels to cut tariffs. It has the support of tour operators, who point to the fact that hotel stay accounts for the bulk of what a tourist spends and Indian hotel tariffs remain high compared to most countries, in and out of season. The hotels are in the unenviable position of already having cut rates by as much as 30 per cent in some cases and are yet to see any improvement in their fortunes. They also point out
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that they are as driven by the market as any other business. As late as in October, hotels in some popular destinations were turning down bookings for January, after which of course the roof caved in. They add that investment in hotels is lumpy and usually comes in waves, leading to periods of excess supply or demand. Their final clincher is that tariffs at popular destinations in decent properties are high primarily because land prices are high and the market for it nontransparent. In this situation when a piece of land is auctioned, it fetches sky-high prices, making high tariffs more or less inevitable. In the last few boom years, mill land in Mumbai and plots in the national capital region and Kolkata's Eastern Bypass fetched astronomical prices. But even within the limited space available to it, the hospitality industry can adopt a fresh approach. There is a crying need for no-frills, clean and functional budget hotels, not the Rs 5,000 ($100) per night ones that pass for them when top rates are in the Rs 12,000-15,000 range, but those that ask for closer to Rs 2,500 ($50). And here, a beginning has been made. Indian Hotels launched four years ago the Ginger category which offers clean comfortable nights in the Rs 1,000-2,000 range, in non-metros and the outskirts of metros. Sixteen properties are up and eight more are being constructed. The company management expects these properties to break even in less than the five to seven years that top end properties take, and considers the model successful and viable.
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1.4 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
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A problem statement is a situation resulting from the interaction or juxtaposition of two or more factors (e.g., givens, constraints, conditions, desires, etc.) which yields (1) a perplexing or enigmatic state, (2) an undesirable consequence, or (3) a conflict which renders the choice from among alternative courses of action moot.
Functions of a Problem Statement 1. Establishing - to establish the existence of two or more juxtaposed factors which, by their interaction produce an enigmatic or perplexing state, yield an undesirable consequence, or result in a conflict which renders the choice from among alternatives moot. 2. Relating - to relate the problem to its antecedents (i.e., educational, scientific, social). 3. Justifying - to justify the utility, significance, or interest inherent in the pursuit of the problem.
1.4(a) IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM
The main reason of conducting research is to analyze the defects in promotion of Indian tourism and special area is that of MICE tourism, the problem lies in promotional strategy adopted by tourism board and other tour operators both public and private. For example state tourism boards are taking intiative to promote their state in all ways eg. Amitabh bachchan promoting various parts of Gujarat, but they are focusing only on leisure tourism and not other type of tourism and specially MICE tourism is ignored by this boards which can be a blessing to Indian economy.
1.4(b) BY CRITICAL READING the thorough reading and scrutinization of various tourism journal, magazines, and with some authors various research such as pata book, journals on global tourism prespective, etc., it has been found that Indian has been more concerned in promotion of leisure travel, which itself has many loopholes, but apart from this other major segment is being ignored such as MICE 37 | P a g e
untapped needs of national and international customers.
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tourism which can play an important part in development of Indian economy and fulfilling
1.4(c) A PROBLEM IN TRENDS AND NEEDS. Business as usual is undergoing a transformation brought on by changing consumer tastes and dramatic economic pressure. Different industries now have to find new ways to appeal to consumers scarred by the recent economic crisis. These consumers spend less and save more; many are jobless, many lack trust in businesses, and many expect the government to provide a high level of service. Business operations are under numerous other pressures, including constrained credit, economic uncertainty, threat of increased inflation, excessive consolidation in many industries, the rapid pace of innovation, rising commodity prices and a constant pressure to do things better, faster and cheaper.
Tourism industry trends can be ascertained with regard to the following parameters. Market analysts researching in tourism industry trends predict or provide a general layout of the trends with respect to outcomes of tourism which is inbound, e-business in the tourism industry, development and promoting tourism in tribal areas, trends in tourism farming, tourism requirements, development of strategies in the context of tourism, tourism markets worldwide, selling or promoting tourist destination etc.
Tourism trends and economy worldwide: Tourism industry is a fast developing sector for the economy worldwide. Statistical data suggests that the tourism industry in the global scenario makes up 11% of GDP. Tourism industry trends also suggest that as many as 200 million people are engaged worldwide in the tourism industry. Statistical data opine that as many as 700 million travelers travel to international places annually. Several other industries which are in some way related to the tourism industry is doing pretty well. With every passing day, with the advent of latest technologies and reaching out to people becoming is a child's play. Importance of bettering
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has taken the tourism industry to it's zenith.
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relationships with the neighboring countries, establishing newer networks across the globe
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Facts about tourism industry trends
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2007 witnessed global tourism rolling with a pace which was not expected. Period between January 2007 and april 2007, witnessed a hike in 6% of the influx of tourists all over the world took the number to 252 million.
There was an influx of 15 million more people as compared to what it was a year back under similar circumstances. This was found out by UNWTO. There was a great growth of 9% in Asia and pacific. Africa witnesses a growth of 8% 8% increased was noticed in Middle East 6% increase in Europe America registered a growth of 4%. This slow change was registered in the intial months. However tourism industry trends in both the Americas predicted a double growth forecast in 2007
With many cheaper airlines flying between places, it is becoming affordable for all. Adding to this is the trend which shows an increase in income which is spendable. With the upward tourism industry, it is assumed that tourism industry is here to stay Potential for the travel and tourism industry in India is enormous. However, at the same time, the industry faces numerous challenges, of which the most critical is lack of proper infrastructure. Challenges Various challenges/issues faced by the domestic travel and tourism industry in India:
Lack of proper infrastructure Human resources Service levels Lack of adequate marketing and promotion Taxation Security Regulatory issues
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Lack of proper infrastructure
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Infrastructure needs for the travel and tourism industry range from physical infrastructure such as ports of entry to modes of transport to urban infrastructure such as access roads, electricity, water supply, sewerage and telecommunication. The sectors related to the travel and tourism industry include airlines, surface transport, accommodation (hotels), and infrastructure and facilitation systems, among others. Access and connectivity To harness Indias tourism potential, several efforts are being taken for opening new destinations and exploring niche segments. However, infrastructure facilities such as air, rail, road connectivity, and hospitality services at these destinations and the connecting cities are inadequate. This remains a major hurdle for development of tourism. Roadways form a vital network in the tourist industry with almost 70% tourists in India travelling by road. Moreover, many tourist circuits depend on roads. Despite numerous efforts to improve road infrastructure, connectivity remains a major problem. There is a greater need for strengthened road and rail network, development of more expressways, and tourist-specific routes to improve connectivity to various locations across different regions. Aviation infrastructure is also critical since it is a major mode of entry for inbound tourism. Passenger traffic is expected to increase in the coming years; however infrastructure facilities at airports are cause for concern. Expansion and development of airports at major gateway cities is underway to cater to the increasing passenger traffic. However, in addition, airport facilities at important secondary cities and tourist destinations also need to be improved to be able to handle greater passenger traffic. Amenities Amenities available at various tourist locations and en route need to be improved. These include basic amenities such as drinking water, well maintained and clean waiting rooms and toilets, first aid and wayside amenities (to meet the requirement of the tourists travelling to tourist destinations) such as lounge, cafeteria, and parking facilities, among others. 41 | P a g e
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India scores poorly in terms of availability of these infrastructure facilities. Inadequate infrastructure facilities affect inbound tourism and also could lead to an increase in the outflow of domestic tourists from India to other competitive neighboring countries. Hence, for the industry to register healthy growth, issues concerning all the related sectors need to be addressed. Human resource Availability of skilled manpower is a major challenge faced by the travel and tourism industry, one of the largest employment generators in the country. To sustain growth in the travel and tourism industry, trained manpower/ workforce is required at every level managerial, supervisory, skilled or semi-skilled. Challenges faced at each level are different. At mid and senior management levels, the industry faces talent crunch and at the front-line staff level, although human resources are adequate, a boom in other service industries such as banking, retail, airline and BPO have resulted in shortage of manpower at this level for the travel and tourism industry. Thus, we have a demand-supply mismatch with respect to manpower in the travel & tourism and hospitality sector in India. A study conducted by Ministry of Tourism suggests that existing supply of human resources do not cater to even 40% of the demand. Thus, the industry has no alternative but to fill the void with untrained resources. Such a high proportion of untrained manpower would adversely affect quality of services offered to the tourists. Attrition, shortage of tourism training infrastructure, qualified trainers, and lack of proper strategies and policies for human resource development also affect the industry. The industry needs to address these problems at the earliest. Service level In addition to tour operators and hotel staff, tourists interact with persons from different backgrounds, occupations and experience. Such people include staff at bus/railway station, immigration staff at airports, taxi/coach operators, ticketing/ travel agencies, small hotels, dhabas/roadside eateries, staff at heritage sites, and tour guides, among others. The degree of service offered by these various stakeholders has a significant impact on determining the 42 | P a g e
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tourists overall experience of India as a tourist destination. The government has taken initiatives to promote responsible tourism by sensitising key stakeholders of the tourism industry through training and orientation, to develop a sense of responsibility towards tourists and inspire confidence of foreign tourists in India as a preferred destination. One such major initiative is the Atithi Devo Bhava campaign. More such efforts are required to improve the degree of service across various operators. Marketing and promotion Marketing and promotion of India as a major tourist destination is critical for the industry to achieve its potential. Lack of adequate budgetary support for promotion and marketing, compared with competing tourist destinations, is a major reason for India lagging behind as a tourist destination. Marketing under the Incredible India campaign helped place India as a good tourist destination on the global tourism map. Indian tourism products are promoted primarily by the Ministry of Tourism with the involvement of state governments through the State Tourism Development Corporations. Newer tourism concepts, which include cruise tourism, adventure tourism, agri tourism or rural tourism, are emerging in India and these require support to develop and flourish. Hence, greater marketing push for these different products is required. To remain competitive in the fiercely competitive field, India needs to change its traditional marketing approach to a more competitive and modern approach. There is a need to develop a unique market position and the brand positioning statement should capture the essence of the countrys tourism products: i.e., they should be able to convey an image of the product to a potential customer. Taxation Travel and tourism in India is a high-taxed industry, which makes India expensive as a tourist destination. This is affecting the growth of the industry in India and India is losing out to other low-cost destinations. Inbound tourism is the one most affected. Various taxes are levied across the entire industry right from tour operators, transporters, airline industry to hotels and these include service tax, luxury tax, tax on transportation, tax on aviation turbine
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vary across different states in the country. Security
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fuel (airline industry), and various taxes on transportation. In addition, these tax rates tend to
Security has been a major problem as well for growth of tourism for a number of years. Terrorist attacks or political unrest in different parts of the country have adversely affected sentiments of foreign tourists. Terror attacks at Mumbai in November 2008 dealt a strong blow to tourism in the country. The terror attacks raised concerns of safety. In addition, insurgency in different parts of the country also mars Indias image as a safe destination. Following the terror attacks in Mumbai, security at tourist spots, airports and hotels has been beefed up to regain confidence of tourists. However, the government needs to take a proactive approach in addressing these issues and in averting the potential impact on the industry. Cyber crime is another major challenge the travel industry faces. Use of Internet in the travel and tourism industry has increased rapidly in recent years and has emerged as one of major segments for online spends. However, some of the biggest frauds have been detected in this segment and the issue of online security has assumed significant importance. While the online travel industry has registered robust growth, major concerns relating to security of online transactions persist. The industry needs to take measures to make the process of online bookings more secure and transparent and also needs to create awareness regarding this. Regulatory issues For inbound international tourists, visa procedures are seen as a hindrance. A number of countries competing with India for tourists provide visa on arrival. India should provide visa on arrival for more countries or for certain categories of tourists for a specific duration. A number of projects in the tourism infrastructure segment and in the hotels industry are delayed due to non-attainment of licenses and approvals on time. The government recently cleared the long-standing proposal for single window clearance for hotel projects to hasten the process of infrastructure development. Implementation of this proposal would help 44 | P a g e
for speedier clearances and approvals for all projects related to the industry. Opportunities
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development of tourism and hospitality infrastructure in the country. There is a greater need
Indias size and massive natural, geographic, cultural and artistic diversity offers enormous opportunities for the travel and tourism industry. The promotion and aggressive marketing measures undertaken by the government is expected to aid influx of tourists. The industry would also benefit from introduction of new forms of tourism and development of niche segments. Medical tourism in India has gained considerable popularity in recent years. India has a major cost advantage in this field compared with other countries. In addition to cost advantages, Indian healthcare industry offers state-of-theart equipment, technological advancement, qualified and experienced medical personnel and a blend of modern and traditional medicines. Thus, medical tourism has immense potential in India. Opportunities also exist in ecotourism, adventure tourism, and cruise tourism. Eco-tourism is increasing in popularity, evident in the development of eco-friendly hotels and tour packages. With increasing environment awareness and consciousness among tourists and given efforts undertaken by the government and private players, the ecotourism segment is expected to record handsome growth in the coming years. India holds immense potential in adventure and cruise tourism. Indias greatest adventure tourism assets are Himalayas and its mighty rivers. The peak period for adventure tourism is the lean period of cultural tourism. Development of adventure tourism can make India a round-the-year tourist destination. The cruise industry is one of the most promising industries in India. However, strong efforts need to be made to develop this industry. Other forms of tourism such as agri tourism, pilgrimage tourism, heritage tourism, and MICE tourism also hold enormous potential. Prospects
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Healthy economic growth recorded in past few years, especially in the services industry, has led to increase in business travel. Higher disposable income and affordability have increased domestic leisure travel in India. Foreign tourist arrivals in India have also grown. The industrys performance was hit in 2009 due to the global economic slowdown, terror attacks in Mumbai (November 2008) and H1N1 virus. However, the industry has shown signs of recovery in the first half of 2010. This is a clear indicator that the long-term prospects for the Indian travel and tourism industry are bright. India is expected to witness increased tourist activity both in the business and leisure segments in the coming years. International inbound traffic is expected to grow rapidly with increasing investment and trade activity. India has been identified as one of the fastest-growing countries in terms of tourism demand. The travel and tourism demand is expected to reach US$ 266.1 bn (` 14,601.7 bn) by 2019. During 20042009 travel and tourism demand in India increased at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.4% to US$ 91.7 bn (` 4,412.7 bn) and foreign exchange earnings from tourism increased ~13% to US$ 11.39 bn. 1.4 (d) EXTENSIVE INVESTIGATION Extensive investigation is process of enquiring indepth about the problem statement through various sources such as books, journals, magazines, internet, observation study, studying trends, etc. In my research i have made investigation about the seller of the tourism product/service and buyer of the same. A brief description about tourist and tour operator has been described below: Man as a social animal has beings traveling since time immemorial in urge of knowledge, peace, and discovery and because of social bindings. This has been a risky and expensive hobby. A more organized and modern concept was first originated in England. In 1729, a man by the name Thomas Cook started charted trips, which was combination of transport, hotel and a role of tour operator. This was birth of first Tour Operator.
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A tour operator is a person, who helps in providing information related to travel. Arranges travel itineraries, making hotel bookings and land arrangements, like travel by car, coach, or rail and air thus combining all this into complete package. Sometimes, they also suggest tailor made itineraries to suite their guest requirement. Alternatively, various entertainment programs, mock functions and theme parties are also organized, trying to give its guest the best of its country in shortest possible time, which is insured in a smooth manner. They also provide various other facilities such as facilitation, arranging loss of travel documents like passports, foreign exchange, lost baggage, visa services, as and when it is required. In case of any natural and unforeseen clematises, all possible arrangements are also organized in shortest possible time. Apart from making land arrangements, they are also actively promoting various train bookings and cruises. Cruises are relatively a new selling tools and alternate for people of special interest who are elite and enjoy travel by sea in relaxed and leisure manner. Various tour operators are selling services of internationally recognized companies like Star Cruises, Royal Caribbean. Another area, which is explored, covers various sports activities like scuba diving, paragliding, bungee jumping, rock climbing, river rafting, helisking and ice-skating. These tour operators also work in close contact with various travel agents to arrange all above services. Thus both tour operator and travel agent work together in providing above services to a traveler in India. Tour Operators can be classified as Inbound Tour Operator and Outbound Tour Operator. Inbound Tour Operator provides services with in a country and Outbound Tour Operator arranges itineraries for travel outside a country. Tour Operators and Travel Agents are part of various international associations like PATA, WTO, IUOTO, IATA-UFTAA, ASTA, TAAI, and SKAL CLUB. Memberships in these associations help, in getting recognition and play a major role in generating business. The major players in this field are American Express, Thomas Cook, Cox and Kings, SITAKUONI, Travel Corporation of India, Trade-Wings, Mercury Travels, Creative Travels, Balmer Lawrie, Delhi Express Travels, Dewan Travels, G D Goenka, Travel Spirits International, Pearl Travels, Stic Travels, The Travel People, Travel Services International, Friends Globe Travels, Uniglobe Travels, Carlson Wagonlit, Make My Trip.Com, Destination Travel and list is 400 strong participant giving their best to promote India as a major tourist destination. 47 | P a g e
Visitor/tourist
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A visitor is a traveller taking a trip to a main destination outside his/her usual environment, for less than a year, for any main purpose (business, leisure or other personal purpose) other than to be employed by a resident entity in the country or place visited. A visitor (domestic, inbound or outbound) is classified as a tourist (or overnight visitor), if his/her trip includes an overnight stay, or as a same-day visitor (or excursionist) otherwise. Business visitor A business visitor is a visitor whose main purpose for a tourism trip corresponds to the business and professional category.
Country of reference The country of reference refers to the country for which the measurement is done.As a general observation, it should be noted that in the International Recommendations 2008: (a) The term country can be transposed to a different geographical level using the term place instead (either a region, municipality or other subnational geographic locati on); (b) The term long-term is used as the equivalent of a year or more and short-term as less than a year.
Country of residence The country of residence of a household is determined according to the centre of predominant economic interest of its members. If a person resides (or intends to reside) for more than one year in a given country and has there his/her centre of economic interest (for example, where the predominant amount of time is spent), he/she is considered as a resident of this country.
Destination (main destination) of a trip
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decision to take the trip. See also purpose of a tourism trip.
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The main destination of a tourism trip is defined as the place visited that is central to the
Domestic tourism Comprises the activities of a resident visitor within the country of reference, either as part of a domestic tourism trip or part of an outbound tourism trip.
Economic analysis Tourism generates directly and indirectly an increase in economic activity in the places visited (and beyond), mainly due to demand for goods and services that need to be produced and provided. In the economic analysis of tourism, one may distinguish between tourisms economic contribution which refers to the direct effect of tourism and is measurable by means of the TSA, and tourisms economic impact which is a much broader concept encapsulating the direct, indirect and induced effects of tourism and which must be estimated by applying models. Economic impact studies aim to quantify economic benefits, that is, the net increase in the wealth of residents resulting from tourism, measured in monetary terms, over and above the levels that would prevail in its absence.
Employment in tourism industries Employment in tourism industries may be measured as a count of the persons employed in tourism industries in any of their jobs, as a count of the persons employed in tourism industries in their main job, as a count of the jobs in tourism industries, or as full-time equivalent figures.
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Excursionist (or same-day visitor)
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A visitor (domestic, inbound or outbound) is classified as a same-day visitor (or excursionist) if his/her trip does not include an overnight stay. Place of usual residence The place of usual residence is the geographical place where the enumerated person usually resides, and is defined by the location of his/her principal dwelling (Principles and recommendations for population and housing censuses of the United Nations, 2.20 to 2.24).
Purpose of a tourism trip (main) The main purpose of a tourism trip is defined as the purpose in the absence of which the trip would not have taken place. Classification of tourism trips according to the main purpose refers to nine categories: this typology allows the identification of different subsets of visitors (business visitors, transit visitors, etc).
Tourism expenditure Tourism expenditure refers to the amount paid for the acquisition of consumption goods and services, as well as valuables, for own use or to give away, for and during tourism trips.
Tourism industries Tourism industries (also referred to as tourism activities) are the activities that typically produce tourism characteristic products. Tourism characteristic products are those that satisfy one or both of the following criteria: (a) Tourism expenditure on the product (either good or service) should represent a significant 50 | P a g e
share of total tourism expenditure (share-of-expenditure/demand
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condition);
(b) Tourism expenditure on the product should represent a significant share of the supply of the product in the economy (share-of-supply condition). This criterion implies that the supply of a tourism characteristic product would cease to exist in meaningful quantity in the absence of visitors. List of categories of tourism characteristic products and tourism industries Products 1. Accommodation services for visitors 2. Food and beverage serving services 3. Railway passenger transport services 4. Road passenger transport services 5. Water passenger transport servcies 6. Air passenger transport services 7. Transport equipment rental services Industries 1. Accommodation for visitors 2. Food and beverage serving activities 3. Railway passenger transport 4. Road passenger transport 5. Water passenger transport 6. Air passenger transport 7. Transport equipment rental
8. Travel agencies and other reservation 8. Travel agencies and other reservation services 9. Cultural services 10. Sports and recreational services 11. Country-specific servies activities 9. Cultural activities 10. Sports and recreational activities
tourism 11. Retail trade of country-specific tourism characteristic goods tourism 12. Other country-specific tourism
characteristic goods 12. Country-specific
characteristic services
characteristic activities
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1.5 HYPOTHESIS OF THE STUDY
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As mentioned above with the help of national statistics and basic observation, there is lack in promotional activities in Indian tourism, the focus is led to only one segment while avoiding other market segments of Indian tourism. Indian tourism should revise their marketing campaign and give importance to other sector too. At present Indian tourism is booming due only leisure travel thorough out the country, special schemes and discounts are designed for only one segment, equal priority need to be given to other tourism market like medical, spiritual. Youth tourism, etc. Special preference should be given to MICE as this sector can not generate high revenue but also bring other countries closer to each other.
1.5(a) SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS The main problem in Indian tourism is limited scope of promotional activities taken up by Indian government and tourism boards. Promoting only culture,values and heritage india. ,Showing the same Indian attraction which existed 50 years back. India has prospered in other sectors like technology, business hub, medical facilities, etc, which too need to be promoted and keep into consideration other segements such as MICE.
1.5(b) INFORMED OR SHREWD GUESS The tourism board of india must be in perception that tourism is just undertaken for leisure travel and this is only one sector giving the maximum revenue for economic development of the country. But the statistics of other countries shows that sectors like MICE is giving twice revenue to tourism industry than leisure tourism. For eg
1.5(c) WITH REASONABLE CHANCE OF BEING RIGHT On the basis of personal experience and interaction with tour operators within the city, I have experienced that promotional activities of Indian tourism is under defect of overemphasis on one segment and ignoring other segments and policies are also designed with such loopholes.
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1.6 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY.
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The reasons which conduct the researcher to choose this topic are diverse, that is why each of them will be explained in details. First of all, during my studies I have never studied this specific industry, i.e. the MICE industry that is why for personal reasons I want to go indepth and learn by myself while doing this dissertation. What is more, this topic was chosen because it gathers the contents of overall tourism industry.. What is more, I have decided to focus this dissertation on promotional activities undertaken in India regarding tourism, which helps in scrutinizing marketing as well as strategic aspects of tourism industry. As far as professional reasons are concerned, this topic was the selected one as the researcher plans to connect the MICE industry with this dynamic sector. Moreover, it is an important field of interest for the research, as it requires different abilities such as a perfect organisation. Therefore, general knowledge about this industry is of prime necessity to apply for a job in such a sector. Finally, the academic reason for having chosen this topic is that the literature concerning this industry in general is quite broad; however there is a lack of information about the specific regions or cities of a country. Taking the case of India, information about India as a whole and Delhi is available but the other cities are never mentioned. An explanation can easily be found in the history of this centralized country, where all the decisions and the business events principally take place in major metro cities. For that purpose, my interest to have an in-depth look at the specific case of whole tourism industry of India and finding the defects of our promotional activities.
The aim of this dissertation is to provide an insight into the tourism industry with special preference to MICE industry by interviewing professionals from this complex industry. India has considerably improved its worldwide position in the UIA ranking for the past ten years. My research question is as follows: Taking the example of India, how can a city or a destination improve its MICE industry in an even more competitive environment?
The overall research objectives are analysed as follows: 53 | P a g e
To explore the academic literature related to the MICE industry development. To analyse the characteristics of the MICE industry in India.
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To explore and analyse the promotional strategy and measures undertaken by India so as to improve its worldwide position. To provide recommendations in order to improve the visibility and competitiveness of promotional activities taken by India in tourism industry as whole.
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REVIEW OF LITERATURE
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Tourism is widely recognized as the world's largest industry and its growth is creating rapid social, economic and environmental changes, which require detailed understanding and measures to manage it. Tourism management is becoming a major area of study among students all over the world and its development and management hold many career opportunities for students and other stakeholders. Several definitions have been forwarded for tourism. The World Trade Organization states that tourism is the activity of people who travel to places outside their customary surroundings and stay there for leisure, business or other purposes for no longer than one year without interruption. WTO: Tourism is the temporary movement of people to destinations outside their normal places of work and residence, the activities undertaken during their stay in those destinations, and the facilities created to cater for their needs Virender Kaul while referring Webster Dictionary advocates that: The term tourist is derived from the word tour meaning a circular trip usually for business, pleasure or education during which various places are visited and for which an itinerary is usually planned. International Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism (AIEST) conceptualized the definition with five main characteristics: The Mathieson and Wall offer a matching one to the Tourism arises from a movement of people to, and their stay in various destinations. There are two elements in tourism; the journey to the destinations and the stay, including activities at the destinations. The journey and the stay take place outside the normal place of residence and work, so that tourism give rise to the activities, which are distinct from those of the resident and working population of the places, through which tourists travel and in which they stay.The movement to destination is temporary in nature with intention to return with in a few days, weeks are months. Destinations are visited for purpose other than taking up permanent residence or employment with in the places visited. The World Tourism Organization (WTO) defines the following in tourism: Inbound international: Visits to a country by non-residents of that country. 55 | P a g e
Outbound international: Visits by the residents of a country to other countries.
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Internal: Visits by residents of a country within their own country. it may also be explained as, involving non-residents traveling in the given country. It is often useful to classify visitors by country of residence, rather than by nationality. Domestic: A domestic tourist is a person, who is residing with in a country, irrespective of nationality, traveling to a place with in this country other then his usual residence for a period of not more than 24 hours or one night for a purpose other than the exercise of a re-numerated activity in the place of visited. The motives for such travel may be leisure, business, family, meetings, sports, studies or religion. Tourist: a person traveling to and staying in places outside his or her usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business, and other purposes. National tourism: comprises domestic tourism and outbound tourism.. International visitor: any person who travels to a country other than that in which he has his usual residence but outside his usual environment for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose of visit is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the country visited. Domestic visitors: any person who resides in a country, who travels to a place within the country, outside his usual environment for a period not exceeding 12 months, and whose main purpose of visit is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited. Overnight visitors: visitors who stay at least one night in collective or private accommodation in the place visited. This definition includes cruise passengers who arrive in a country on a cruise ship and return to the ship each night to sleep on board, even though the ship remains in port for several days. Also included in this group are ownersor passengers of yachts and passengers on a group tour accommodated in a train. Same day visitors: visitors who do not spend the night in collective or private accommodation in the place visited. Tourism expenditure: the total consumption expenditure made by a visitor or on behalf of a visitor for and during his trip and stay at a destination.
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Resident in a country: A person is considered to be a resident in a country if the person has lived for most of the past year (12 months) in that country, or has lived in that country for a shorter period and intends to return within 12 months to live in that country. Person Nights (Nights): Person nights, or nights, refers to the number of nights spent away from home on an overnight trip. One person spending four nights away from home generates four person nights. Day Visit: A day visit is defined as a place where one or more hour were spent during travel outside of the usual environment. Each day visit is presented with all destinations. All Destination data includes every place where the visitor spent one or more hours on their day trip. For example, a person who visited Baroda for an hour or more on the way to Ahmedabad would be recorded as having one Day Visit to Ahmedabad and one day visit to Baroda Cultural and Religious Tourism: This type of tourism covers all those aspects of travel whereby people learn about eachothers way of life and thoughts. Pilgrims of sacred places of a particular belief is called religious tourism. Dark Tourism or Thanotourism is tourism involving travel to sites associated with death and suffering. This includes sites of pilgrimage such the site of St Peters death in Rome; castles and battlefields such as Culloden near Inverness, Scotland; sites of disaster, either natural or man made such as Ground Zero in New York and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans; prisons now open to the public such as Beaumaris Prison in Anglesey, Wales; and purpose built centers such as the London Dungeon.In a class of its own, one of the most notorious destinations for dark tourism is the Nazi extermination camp at Auschwitz in Poland. Health Tourism Health tourism is the travel to a different country or state for health related reasons.The main driver of health tourism is the lack of facilities in the home country, exorbitant cost of treatment in the home country,no or minimal insurance cover,anominty and possiblity of a holiday with health care. The nations that are being benefitted from it are India,Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Here the cost of treatment will be 20% of what it is in the developed countries in the west and the quality of care is also at par or superior than in the developed countries. 57 | P a g e
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Adventure tourism is a type of niche tourism involving exploration or travel to remote areas, where the traveller should expect the unexpected. Adventure tourism is rapidly growing in popularity as tourists seek unusual holidays, different from the typical beach vacation. Adventure tourism typically involves travelling into remote, inaccessible and possibly hostile areas. It may include the performance of acts that require significant effort and grit and may also involve some degree of risk.
Agritourism is a style of vacation in which hospitality is offered on farms. This may include the opportunity to assist with farming tasks during the visit. Agritourism is often practiced in wine growing regions, as in Italy, France and Spain. In America, Agritourism is wide-spread and includes any farm open to the public at least part of the year. Tourists can pick fruits and vegetables, ride horses, taste honey, learn about wine, shop in gift shops and farm stands for local and regional produce or hand-crafted gifts, and much more. Each farm generally offers a unique and memorable experience suitable for the entire family.
Space tourism is the recent phenomenon of space travel by individuals for the purpose of personal pleasure. As of 2005, space tourism is only affordable to exceptionally wealthy individuals and corporations, with the Russian space program providing transport. Some are beginning to favor the term "personal space flight" instead, as in the case of the Personal Spaceflight Federation. Other Tourisms: religious tourism, social tourism, mass tourism, conference tourism, domestic tourism or international tourism etc. Tourism facilitates economic development, increased foreign earnings; creates more jobs. It increases economic benefits to local people which include: improved telephone access, health facilities, air ports and road networks. It is also responsible for Other types include: Seasonal tourism, sport tourism, increase in prices, desire to possess more material things and change eating habits, dress etc. For example, the World Travel and Tourism Council estimated that in the year 2003 the world travel and tourism industry accounted for 195 million jobs, US$ 3,527 billion in GDP, US$ 1,010 billion in exports, US$ 686 billion in capital investments, US$ 224 billion of all government expenditure. 58 | P a g e
MICE INDUSTRY
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MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) is a highly developed industry which has been related to the travel industry for decades. The MICE industry generates a lot of business to local hotels, airlines, tour companies, transfer services and related travel product providers. The organization of such events had its peak in the end of 2007, when the trends were going up and the global economy was in perfect shape. Last three years the growth in such activities has slowed down a little bit, but they still remain a very important part of the communication between travel professionals. The United States are still the leader in terms of exhibition space, but Asia and specifically Singapore, and Thailand are on the first places in terms of growth. Again in terms of growth, but in Europe the first places are held by countries like Poland and Bulgaria but still there are not enough facilities to satisfy the needs of bigger conventions. Another perspective we can take a look at is that the MICE industry is in many countries the biggest supplier of travelers and attracting significant revenue in the local economies. In Thailand for example this is one of the major sectors in tourism with MICE tourists spending usually more than leisure tourists. There are many benefits that the MICE industry brings into the travel sector and here are some of them: - Profit for the organizers of such meetings - Benefit for the country and municipality where the money is spent by the visitors on local level - Hoteliers gain from the nights spent in their premises - Contractors, Freight Forwards, Exhibitors, Restaurants and Entertainments, Shopping Centers, Transportation and Communication, etc. All of them benefiting from the money spent by people who travel for meetings The last couple of years, video conferencing and webinars have gained enormous popularity, but still the need for the MICE industry remains and will continue to grow with the economy globalizing, experts say. Tourism demand depends above all strongly on the economic conditions in major generating markets. When economies grow, levels of disposable income will usually also rise. A relatively large part of discretionary income will typically be spent on tourism, in particular 59 | P a g e
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in the case of emerging economies. A tightening of the economic situation on the other hand, will often result in a decrease or trading down of tourism spending. In general, the growth of international tourism arrivals significantly outpaces growth of economic output as measured in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In years when world economic growth exceeds 4 per cent, the growth of tourism volume tends to be higher. When GDP growth falls below 2 per cent, tourism growth tends to be even lower. In and GDP at 3.5 per cent, i.e. tourism grew on average 1.3 times faster than GDP. The period 1975-2000 tourism increased at an average rate of 4.6 per cent a year. Tourism development also has some positive and negative upon cultural traditions, life style, and environment of the local people. Quoting The Golden Hordes of Ash and Turner (1976), Romila Chawla argues that Tourism also causes decline in morality through unending pursuit of fun, sun and sex by the golden hordes of pleasure seekers in the vacation destinations thus increasing in prostitution, drug consumption etc. Degradation of natural environment in tourists receiving areas is another problem, which is directly proportionate to the tourists intake. Management enjoys central role in the process of tourism development (Milne 1990). Tourism management measures are very important to monitor visitors access and protect the tourist environment The interaction of tourism and the environment been comprehensively researched by Hunter and Green (1995)21, Batta (2000)22, Pankaj Bhalla(2004)23, and Romila Chawla ( 2004)24, and highlighted development. The literature concludes that tourism interacts with environment in a two the environmental implications of indiscriminate tourism way process. Qualitative and quantitative differences in distribution of environmental resources in various regions account for differences arrivals and development. Similarly, tourism produces a variety of unwanted by products causing changes in environments like waste, population effects etc. Tourism brings together people of different cultures, and regions and fosters better understanding. For doing this effectively and durably, it demands conditions of peace. It is, therefore, rightly said that tourism is the greatest peace movement in the world. Therefore, all those who work to promote tourism are, also promoting the larger goal ofpeace and harmony in the world. Travel is the language of peace. Peace is the basis of tourism and tourism also helps build peace".
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Community involvement in tourism planning and development can facilitate the implementation of sustainable development and foster the growth of more environmentally compatible forms of development. Involving local people in early decision making will reduce the likelihood of anger, resentment and litigation etc. in the process of tourism development. Murphy (1990) in his book, Tourism Community Approach carried a more balanced assessment of the industry and its impacts, since it involves the interests of many groups with in a given setting. The travel industry produces expectations, sells dreams and provides memories. The Tourist Industry is composed of variety of trades in goods and services. Primary travel trades in the tourist industry are; hotel industry, food and beverage industry, transport industry, travel industry. Whereas, secondary travel trades include; retail shops of souvenirs, antiques and gifts etc, Banks and financial institutions, hair dressers, laundries and suppliers of goods and services for hoteliers, caterers and transport undertakings. Who benefits from tourism and with what share? A study was conducted by OECD, which revealed following results: 100% Travel agencies and accommodation 80% Air travel 50% Land transport Beneficiaries of Tourism 30% Restaurants 15% Sea transport 10% Culture and entertainment Tourists, Tourism and Tourism Industry While Tourists are people from surrounding areas or from other parts of the country or overseas, who travel around our State for various purposes. They may stay overnight or for longer periods, usually taken as less than a year; Tourism is the temporary movement of people (visitors) from one area to another for activities related to - leisure, pleasure, social, recreational, knowledge-seeking, medical and business etc. Tourism Industry is primarily service-oriented, people-based industry, in a largely seasonal business providing a wide range of services to tourists, often on 24X7 basis. It is unique because- 1) it is not a single, definable industry, instead it is made up of businesses and 61 | P a g e
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organizations belonging to various other industries and sectors and, 2) the interplay of all of these (businesses and organizations), when properly aligned, gives rise to Tourism Industrys ultimate product -the travel experience. Structure of Tourism Industry a commonly held misconception is that tourism industry is made up of little more than hotels and motels, but in reality, it is much larger than that. However, a large part of tourism industry is a combination of Hospitality (a combination of businesses related to accommodation and dining) and Travel Industry (businesses providing transportation services (to tourists) through different modes). Other than these, there are numerous other businesses, which offer their services and products to the tourists and form a part of the tourism industry. The tourism industry has been divided into eight different sectors or areas. The following sector descriptions are brief overviews. 1. Accommodation 2. Adventure Tourism and Recreation 3. Attractions 4. Events and Conferences 5. Food and Beverage 6. Tourism Services 7. Transportation 8. Travel Trade Most players in tourism industry are SMEs which are neither a uniform group, nor able to deliver consistently high service quality and most importantly who dont see themselves as a part of tourism industry but play a crucial role in creating the overall tourist satisfaction. Economic Value Creation Through Tourism Industry Tourism Industry has always been a strong economic value creator be it in terms of - earning forex or providing jobs or by means of boosting of related businesses. It creates economic value through tourism sales which is combined sales of all the above mentioned components of Tourism Industry. Tourism sales can be further classified in direct and indirect economic value
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Global Tourism Industry
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Globally, this is one of the fastest growing industries, thanks to higher disposable incomes, increased leisure time and falling costs and time of travel. Appreciating its potential as an economic value creator, nations are furiously competing for a larger share in this industry and are encouraging and promoting tourism like never before resulting in restructuring the Tourism Industry with innovative tourism products and marketing strategies in the offing, both for the players and the tourists. Competitiveness and Tourism Industry being competitive has emerged as a new challenge for tourism industries across the globe because of furious competition amongst nations for a larger share in the tourism pie. However, for Tourism Industry, competitiveness is a complex concept encompassing various aspects that are difficult to measure (Nishaal G; Guntur S. March 2005) and numerous challenges, including a complex structure, also limits the designing and implementation of competitiveness enhancing strategies for this industry. The Indian Tourism Industry Tourism in India is a booming industry, with India appearing in various lists of worlds hot tourist destinations. Indian Tourism is touching new heights based on the popular judgment indicators used for the tourism industry 1) tourist inflow and 2)revenues earned. Tourist Inflow If considered in isolation, Indian Tourism Industry is attracting more tourists than ever before and the number is constantly increasing, but comparison between - foreign tourist inflow in India and other popular international destinations, presents a gloomy picture. For example - India, a large country, attracted 3.9 million tourists in 2005 and New York, a city, attracted 6.8 million foreign tourists in the same period (www.nytimes.com. December 2006). Comparing India with its small neighbours like Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia etc also fetch similar results. However, huge population base is making up for this through rapidly growing domestic tourism, both in numbers and in strength and recently for the first time in the history of Indian Tourism, outbound tourists from India exceeded the number of inbound tourists.
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Revenues earned
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The second popularly used indicator for judging tourism industry is the economic value generated by it and its contribution to the economy and on that count, Indian Tourism Industry scores high. Accounting for about 2.5% of the GDP, it also appears in the top five forex earner industries in India. However, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates suggest that the contribution of Indian Tourism Industry to the national economy will decline to 1.7% by 2016, but since that is relative to the rapidly growing GDP of India, it might not be a big cause of concern. Information and Research studies suggest a bright future for Indian Tourism Industry in terms of economic activity, like according to The Travel and Tourism Economic Research 2006, Indian Travel & Tourism Industry is expected to grow by around 8% between 2007 and 2016 taking the generation of economic value to US$128 billion. But even after this success of Indian Tourism Industry, it is not yet among the most competitive tourism industries in the world and inspite of India emerging as a `must see' destination in recent years Indian Tourism represents only 0.8% of world market-share which is negligible looking at the potential it holds. Another cause of concern can be Indias position in a research conducted by WTTC to understand the competitiveness of Tourism and Travel Industry of 174 countries, India clocked in at 89 on infrastructure, and 156 in its relative contribution to national economy. Present Scenario With commonwealth games (2010) insight and also after appreciating its potential as economic value creator, Government is taking serious measures to promote tourism and is providing lucrative incentives to attract more players, but as usual in India, efforts and initiatives tend to founder on shoals created by political unwillingness to implement, civil strife, weakness in the infrastructure and contradictory administrative policies. Structural Changes Rapid growth and lucrative incentives are attracting new players (especially foreign players and Indian corporates) to this industry, and this is resulting in big structural changes and a transition - from traditionally being a mom and pop industry dominated by individually
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chains - is taking place. Challenges for Indian Tourism Industry
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owned SMEs and local / regional players, to the strong presence of organized sector and
on basis of current performance, Indian Tourism Industry can be termed as successful, but being successful is very different from being competitive and there are critical challenges which are negatively dictating and adversely affecting its competitiveness. These challenges can be classified into 3 broad categories: Sector Specific Challenges - Being a part of the service sector, Tourism Industry faces the below mentioned challenges posed by the sector itself High Exit Barrier; Difficulty in trial One characteristic of services is that it is hard to escape from the consequences of a poor choice (of service and service provider). Tourists know this and they also understand that once they are at a destination, a U-turn is not easy. Hence, they are over cautious while deciding on the tourism services (choice of destination, transporter and hotels etc). Another service characteristic that affects tourism industry is reduced trialability. Since the trialability is also almost nil in (tourism) services, in case of tourism industry, it is a prerequisite to have a good product and a sound reputation in place, only then sustainable sales can be expected. Word-Of-Mouth (WOM) WOM is crucial in selling of (tourism) services because usually the choice of destination is affected by WOM publicity. Here, it is important to realize that tourists tend to believe more on information from independent sources and less on promotions, thus, a destination may be pushed through heavy promotion, but the length of its PLC is finally dictated by the WOM. Industry Specific Challenges - certain challenges are related to the very nature of this particular industry and exist along with the industry around the globe, like: Highly infectious industry Tourism Industry is very sensitive to environmental changes and it gets affected by them and reacts very fast to them, like - According to Star News (10 April 2007), a bollywood movie song resulted in increased tourist inflow to a destination (Khandala) and recently, in a couple of days after India got out of the cricket world cup,
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industry.
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many tourists cancelled their tours to West Indies resulting in loss of Rs 30 Crore to tourism High Social Cost Tourism takes a toll on the resources (especially natural resources), and a large part of the revenues brought in by tourism is required for sustaining the resources, so the profitability of tourism industry is suspicious, especially in countries where proper sustainability mechanisms are not in place. Intermediary Conflicts - Components of the tourism industry have different commercial objectives, strategic interests and operational procedures, so as channel partners protect and advance their own interests, often at the expense of their partners gains, several intra-channel conflicts emerge inevitably. Major reasons behind such conflicts are 1. Price and Profit Margin Distribution 2. Exceeding Vertical Integration generates Oligopolistic Behavior 3. Operational issues - partners failing to fulfill their obligations or providing the service they promised Tourists rates the overall experience visitors tend to rate their overall experience at the destination and in the process they credit tourism industry for the performance of industries and sectors, which are not directly related to tourism. If anything is not according to tourists expectations, it might go against the tourism industry, because the negative WOM will be generated for the destination. India Specific Challenges - Some challenges facing Indian Tourism Industry are uniquely India specific, like Sensitizing the diverse Human Resources It is an industry where even the behavior of general public affects the overall experience of tourists, and people associated with this industry vary significantly in their background, education, occupation and experience etc (an hotelier is totally different from a taxi driver), so having a common program addressing everyone in this industry is inviting failure and neither it is easy to have so many different / customized programs. Finally, it is a big challenge to sensitize such a large number of diverse people simultaneously. Although efforts (like atithi devo bhava campaign) have been made to train and groom the HR associated with this industry, but they have not been as successful in achieving 66 | P a g e
been done to measure and evaluate the impact of such efforts.
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significant and measurable results as they were expected to, and neither much research has Collapsing Hotel Infrastructure India has approximately 150000 hotel rooms, which are insufficient to meet the existing demand, let alone catering to new demand. Moreover, concentration of Hotels (approximate 7000 rooms are in Delhi itself) is causing an acute shortage of rooms in remaining areas which are no short of tourist destinations and attract a lot of tourists, thus further aggravating the problem. A comparison of number of hotel rooms is given below Country Approximate No. of Hotel Rooms China 900,000 Thailand 220,000 Indonesia 250,000 India 150,000 (Economic Times. March 2007) High Operating Costs Indian hotels suffer from high operating costs and this ultimately reflects in their higher prices. The biggest sufferer is the budget tourists and even for those who can pay, when the facilities are not according to the prices it leads to dissatisfaction and also makes the destination unattractive for tourists. Following points highlights the prevailing crisis: In 2002, Delhi and Mumbai appeared in the top 5 cities with highest tax rates as percentage of overall lodging bill. (Report by World Travel and Tourism Tax Policy Center) Comparing with China - in 2005, rooms of similar quality for business travelers, cost on an average, $187 in Delhi, $178 in Mumbai versus $122 in Beijing and $150 in Shanghai. (Travel Business Analyst. www.nytimes.com. December 2006.) Adding to all this, an unprecedented rise in real estate prices is working as an entry barrier for hotel industry, negating the governments effort (incentives) to attract new players, thereby slowing down the pace of growth of hotel rooms.
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Transportation Chaos increasing number of airlines (from 2 to 10 in last 4 years) has rapidly increased the number of passengers, resulting in a virtual collapse of facilities at Indian airports. Moreover, there is no supervising authority, maintaining and monitoring the quality and standards of services delivered by airlines making an unpleasant experience a rule, rather than an exception. Indian Railways, another popular mode of transportation suffers from conditions worse than the airlines (in terms of reservations, punctuality, cleanliness, facilities etc). Since India welcomes tourists mostly from developed countries these problems convert their trip into a mission and few return with good memories. Unfriendly Government Policies Till recent past, Tourism was perceived as an elitist activity in India and hence high tax rates and less budgetary provisions were the fate of its tourism industry. The table below refers to some main provisions affecting tourism industry in the last few years Year Main Provisions affecting Tourism Industry 200304 Expenditure tax on hotels removed (from 10% levels earlier). 200405 Service tax rate increased from 8% to 10%. Service tax imposed on business exhibition services, airport services and travel agents. 200506 Corporate tax reduced to 30% from the present level of 35%, but the surcharge increased to 10%. 200607 Rate of Service tax for hotels increased from 10% to 12%. 5 year tax exemption given to budget and mid-market hotel projects. (Economic Times. March 2007) Inspite of increasing provisions for tourism industry (like - provision for building tourist infrastructure increased from Rs.423 crore in 2006-07 to Rs.520 crore in 2007-08), India is one of the lowest spenders on tourism with tourism getting 0.72% in the 10th plan (India ranks 153rd in 160 countries in investing in tourism) while neighboring competitors invest far more: Malaysia (5.1%), Nepal (5%), Indonesia (8.4%), Maldives (15.7%), China (3.8%). Manpower woes - population was formerly considered an evil for India, but now, be it industries in manufacturing or service sector, all are capitalizing on the manpower which has been a blessing in disguise. Ideally, tourism industry should not be an exception, more so because it has earning and paying capacities and it is rapidly growing, so an obvious strategy 68 | P a g e
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to enhance its competitiveness is to equip it with the talent it requires, but unfortunately almost all components of Indian Tourism Industry are suffering from an acute shortage of skilled manpower. As Hindustan Times Horizons reports (April 2007), India prepares approximately 18000 hotel management graduates annually which is very less then what is required, and more importantly only 5000 of these actually join the core industry and rest leave for more attractive avenues. Similarly, the demand for pilots is growing rapidly with the growth in number of airlines but a pilot training course which takes 9 months to complete in US takes around 3 years in India because of lack of adequate training infrastructure. India not only lacks in training and development infrastructure, but there are other problems also which related to HR as indicated by the Director General of Archaeological Survey of India, answering about the reasons for poor condition of historical monuments in India, and he pointed towards the financial and infrastructural limitations of ASI. This clearly implies that one of the highest earning industries of India is not able to manage recruitment for protection and site management for its heritage buildings which are the most popular tourist attractions of India.
Strategies to Enhance Competitiveness of Indian Tourism Industry Marketing : A Challenge and a Strategy Indian Tourism appreciated the importance of promotion and launched the Incredible India campaign which is credited for successfully promoting, selling, repositioning and revitalizing the brand India, through world class promotion campaigns and effective selling strategies conducted under its umbrella. Even at domestic level the State Tourism Development Corporations (STDCs) are now promoting their respective states to attract domestic tourists like never before and the good results are evident from the increasing number of tourists (foreign and domestic) coming in. However, just pushing India to the world and focusing only on increasing the tourist inflow is not addressing the competitiveness issue of Indian Tourism Industry, because for that, it is necessary to have satisfied customers. Indian Tourism Industry has neglected customer satisfaction and retention to a large extent and it is visible through little use of market 69 | P a g e
the satisfaction levels of existing tourists:
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research to measure and evaluate the following and other identical issues which elaborate on Are tourists visiting destinations in India, going back satisfied with the overall travel experience?
Do tourists actually find India as it is showcased in its Promotions?
What is the probability of their recommending India to their counterparts back home? Considering the problems mentioned above, prima-facie it can be said that - on basis of expectation disconfirmation theory, it is more likely that tourists expectations are being negatively disconfirmed in India. Effective Market Research to Understand Tourists A case of Mauritius Tourism Conducting extensive market research to know about the desired destination attributes and tourists satisfaction might be one part of the overall competitiveness enhancement strategy for Indian Tourism Industry. In this context a research undertaken by Mauritius Tourism can serve as a model. It conducted a year long survey at their main airport and covered all tourists of their target market, at the time when they were leaving the country. This research provided them critical insights about the experience and aspirations of their target market which helped in further boosting up their bread and butter industry by making it more attractive and pleasurable for those who matter. India can replicate the model after making obvious adaptations. Restructuring Organization Structure and Planning Framework - The Cases of Canada Tourism and Melbourne Tourism Beginning from the top level, in order to be competitive, a competitive organizational structure and planning framework are a prerequisite. Structural setup at the top of Indian Tourism Industry is not sufficiently business / industry oriented and is adversely affecting the all important work of framing the plans, policies and guidelines, which then affect the implementation of the same at the lower levels. The adverse affects are visible in the structure and working of the government owned establishments in this industry (tourist bungalows, hotels, railways and other transport, HR in TDC, destination management etc) who do not seem to belong to this industry. 70 | P a g e
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Till the seventh 5 year plan (1985 90) tourism was never given the importance it deserves and poor planning and lack of coordination, characterized by ambiguity and vagueness and contradictory policies, led to an unregulated growth of tourism in India. In other words the whole structure at the top and the foremost function of planning are not competitive enough to provide Indian Tourism Industry with a strong foundation and right direction. In this context, the structural model of Canada Tourism which is business oriented and suitable for a highly competitive environment, can be considered after obvious adaptations for Indian requirements. Canada tourism has specifically chosen 10 destinations and divided them in 3 regions (AsiaPacific, North America, European / Latin America) as their target market with separate marketing departments for each and in this way it has achieved accountability and focus. They research, identify and monitor the key trends in tourism for each of their target market and on that basis conduct a thorough SWOT analysis of each region and finally, set specific priorities for each region as to what to achieve. This structure creates target market specialists who understand the tourists from their target markets and thus are better equipped to satisfy them. The Marketing Department is engaged in top-level guidance, planning and research and it is supported by a sales department that implements marketing development activities and leads the media and promotion activities. The planning framework of Indian Tourism Industry can be redesigned, taking Melbourne Tourism Plan (2002-07) as a base. Melbourne Tourism has adopted an industry oriented outlook for making professionally designed specific plans for responding to changing consumer demands and other critical and contemporary issues, like:
Destination marketing; o Product, branding and competitive positioning (of Melbourne), o Pricing, o Market segmentation, o Promotion and distribution o Cross agency cooperation 71 | P a g e
o Site Management
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Contemporary and detailed planning, which professionally addresses specific issues, has added to the competitiveness of their tourism industry and can very well do the same for Indian Tourism Industry.
Effective Destination Management through Encouraging Business Operators for Adopting Higher Standards - Case of Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (Australia) Destination Management is another area where Indian Tourism Industry has performed miserably and negatively affects the impression of tourists. The Great Barrier Reef (Australia) presents a remarkable case of destination management and it falsifies the great Indian myths about destination management that large number of tourists and large areas are tough to manage. This marine park has a boundary of 2300 kms. and it welcomes 2 million tourists and 4.9 million recreational visitors every year. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has been created by Australian Tourism to manage this destination and the marine park has recently won the best destination prize GBRMPA encourages tourism business operators to take up The Eco Certification Program (developed and operated by Ecotourism Australia, for ensuring, identifying and monitoring high standards in ecologically sustainable tourism operations and thereby helping in protecting and managing the destination) and it rewards business operators, if they adopt high standards or improve their performance in ecotourism through lucrative incentives, like extending duration of their work permits, listing them on official website and publications (Australian Ecotourism Directory etc), showcasing them at various important tourism related events (exhibitions etc). Public Private Partnership is critical for enhancing competitiveness enhancing coordination and cooperation between public sector and private sector undertakings of the industry will help in creating a wholesome experience for the tourists. In this industry where both play equally important role, it is not possible for both to perform in isolation. Moreover, it will be a win-win situation for both the sectors as both can benefit by each others expertise and resources. Following cases presents the profitable use of this interdependency 72 | P a g e
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Make the business operators realize that - Tourism Survives Till The Destination Does - GBRMPA has made the tourism business operators realize that for their business, they will ALWAYS need a healthy Great Barrier Reef. Increasing realization of this interdependence has led to the development of a strong active partnership significantly improving the destination management as well as competitiveness of tourism business outcomes at the Marine Park. Handover the Funds in Right Hands case of Vermont Tourism (USA) has created Fund for Tourism Marketing Initiatives (FTMI) program. Under this, it awards financial grants (on merit basis) to local organizations for building / expanding events, marketing programs, advertising campaigns and public relations programs that hold significant potential for measurable increase in travelers to Vermont. Sensitize the Community for sustainable competitiveness Community is an important stakeholder in tourism industry and can play a vital role in enhancing its competitiveness through sharing the responsibility and thus easing out the job of sustainability and destination management to some extent, but unfortunately, in Indian Tourism Ministry this important stake holder of tourism industry has been rarely involved and sensitized for such efforts. Following are a few cases which elaborate on communitys contribution in creating sustainable competitiveness for the tourism industry Case of Yufuin, (Japan) Yufuin differentiated itself from other hot water springs destinations by augmenting the tangible tourism resource of hot springs with many intangible assets, including its unique vision that put a bold antithesis to regional renaissance that had traditionally been dependent upon government policies and subsidies. The town made it clear that it would not seek resort development under the popular provisions of Resort Law of Japan. Alternatively, the owners / operators of hot-spring (ryokan) and local volunteers joined to review the town planning from scratch, and enacted a unique landscape protection act to stop the wave of the construction of resort condominiums and create a menu of offerings such as a music festival that appeal to potential visitors. Instead of just focusing on attracting more and more tourists, they focused on making the town an attractive place in which they can take pride in living and simultaneously combined local resources into a collective strength, resulting in a sharp increase in number of repeat
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musicians. (Uemura C. March 2005)
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visitors, visiting to enjoy the hot springs of Yufuin and performances by world renowned Case of Vermont Tourism (USA) Vermont is a famous tourist destination in US well known for its historic downtowns. It is an excellent case of enhancing the competitiveness of the tourism industry through aggressive local revitalization programs. This program demonstrates that how revitalization of communities builds the local economy and cultural institutions and also supports growth in sustainable tourism while simultaneously maintaining the heritage. Vermont Downtown Program was established in 1994 to provide technical assistance and training to identified local communities to develop skills and strategies for their downtown revitalization efforts built on for each community's history and historic buildings. Similar programs have been started by few STDCs as they realize that destinations, especially the monuments, are large in number and widespread too. But such efforts hardly go beyond adoption of monuments / destinations by people or organizations in monetary terms. Effective deployment of Human Resources Although, some private players have opened their own academies to develop talent, but it is not possible either for the private sector or for the public sector, to cater to the growing demand single-handedly. Private-Public Partnership for development of world class academic, training and development infrastructure can be a remedy and can enable the industry to take advantage of this most valuable and most widely available resource in the country. Government should encourage infrastructure development in this area as well with a long term vision. It is very simple that adding more airlines and hotels would not lead to anywhere if there are not enough people to work for them and high training costs and recruiting from abroad will push the already high operating costs further. Conclusion Tourism Industry is a very dynamic industry and so are its challenges and strategies, therefore a learning approach towards best-practices would yield better results in enhancing competitiveness of this industry. Also, the need for sound perspective in planning and private-public-community participation is imperative for this purpose. This research was an attempt to illuminate the area through simple yet effective examples and cases collected from around the world, based on their contribution in making their respective Tourism Industry more competitive. It leaves a background for further research, as assessing 74 | P a g e
be another rewarding study.
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the implications of using the above mentioned best-practices in Indian Tourism Industry can
Tourism today is an industry, not just an industry but also a big industry, which is getting bigger every day. It is an industry that has assumed global proportions. It is a social phenomenon itself. For this social phenomenon to grow the design of a Comprehensive Tourism Quality Plan is the first step to be taken by the administrators which should be specially oriented at improvement actions, marketing and image, and the improvement of processes aimed at customers (Lopez et al.2010). Tourism plays a great role towards socioeconomic changes. (Dasgupta S et.al. 2006).It is an important sector of the economy and contributes significantly in the countrys GDP as well as Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEE). In the year 2010, the tourism sector witnessed substantial growth as compared to 2009. The Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTA) in India during 2010 was 5.58 million as compared to the FTAs of 5.17 million during 2009, showing a growth of 8.1%. The growth rate during 2009 over 2008 was (-) 2.2%. FEE from tourism during 2010 were ` 64889 crore as compared to ` 54960 crore during 2009, registering a growth rate of 18.1%. The growth rate in FEE from tourism during 2009 over 2008 was 8.3% (Annual Report 2010-11 Ministry of Tourism Government of India). The tourism industry in India is substantial and vibrant, and the country is fast becoming a major global destination. But this Industry is facing many challenges today like lack of proper infrastructure, professionalism in its management etc. in the context of its growth and projected development in India. The results of the present study clearly point out that the employees in the tourism industry prefer modern cultural aspects at work than the traditional cultural aspects. Its always easy to have armchair discussions about what the government should do and what it isnt doing. Notwithstanding that, here are a few things wed love to suggest to the tourism ministry, because we cant help but say again and again that India can make a lot of money off its tourism wealth but it we are simply letting opportunities slip from our hands.
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Allow corporate sponsorship for heritage buildings One of the biggest charms of Indian tourism is its architecture and wealth of historic monuments. And theres a long list of heritage monuments that are still sitting in squalid environments. An effective solution for this would be to outsource the maintenance and exterior lighting of the heritage monument to corporate giants in return for some branding opportunity at the monument. Many think this is outright commercialisation. But this is a much better option than leaving it an abandoned state and let it decay. Create experiences, not sightseeing spots If you closely notice, many tourist destinations around the world are merely made up of created experiences. Be it botanical gardens, architectural monuments, backwaters, the Himalayas, the tourism ministry should see the potential of a place to attract tourists rather than merely banking on the natural beauty of a place. The tourism industry which includes the government and private players, need to manipulate destinations as experiences and not sightseeing point alone. 76 | P a g e
children, culinary tours, interactivity for the tourist with the culture of the place etc. Build great roads and access points
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For instance, steps can be taken to make the tour replete with tour guides, activities for the
It would completely wrong on anyones part to simply say Create better infrastructure. This is a very generic statement. But it is critical to build good roads and approach points to a certain tourist destination. For foreign and domestic tourists alike, a bumpy ride with potholes and a punctured tire only to reach an exotic Indian destination is no good. Packaged train travel, easy bus connections and safe car hire services with knowledgeable personnel combines with great freeways and highways may sound utopian but are critical features for an unmatched tourist experience. Aggressive tourism marketing strategies Many people seem to be having a problem with exoticizing India to the West but at some point if that strategy allows for the raking in of moolah, then why not? Were not promoting India as the land of snakes and charmers anymore, but the tourism ministry should surely pursue aggressive online and other marketing strategies to promote India as a must-visit location. Whether it is broadcasting Incredible India campaigns abroad, holding tourism seminars or offering Indian locations with facilities to promote foreign film productions in the country. Aggressive marketing is absolutely critical to be seen and heard well. Sell niche tourism areas separately India is currently in a position where it can make a cash cow out of selling customized experiences, luxury spa sessions, rare animal sanctuaries, religious pilgrimage tours and extreme Himalaya tours. With too many points of differentiation available, Indian tourism should focus on how it has something on offer for everyone in every category with all budgets. India on shoestring, India 77 | P a g e
more.
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in luxury, the royal India, urban India, the common mans India, historical India and much
The way information is packaged and distributed can go a long way in improving tourist traffic in the country. Although the government has already started making a lot of improvements in this area, we still have a long way to go to let tourism alone generate significant revenue for the country. We need to capitalize on India as a destination where the royal Bengal tiger, a common labourer, a few millionaires, religious dichotomies, exotic culinary treasures and some of the most expensive spas of the world co-exist. Now, thats quite a challenge, isnt it? The recent economic sinusoidal swings notwithstanding, globally, Tourism has been a sector that has seen a substantial growth in the recent years. The zeal to capture this booming market has even lead to the segmentation of the industry with some countries specializing in health like India, some in Eco tourism like Costa Rica and Nepal and still others in rural tourism.
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(3) RESEARCH METHODLOGY WHAT IS RESEARCH?
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Before defining Research, Research always starts with a question or problem. Its purpose is to find answers to questions through the systematic and scientific method. The systematic and intensive study directed towards a more complete knowledge of the subject studied.
Research is not an existing bag of techniques. Research is not a fishing expedition or an encyclopedic gathering of assorted facts. Research is power full investigation.
Research can be classified in two ways

1) Basic research: - Basic researchs aims at expanding the frontiers of knowledge and does not directly involved pragmatic problems. 2) Applied research: - It proceeded with a certain problem, and it specifies alternative solutions and the possible outcomes of each alternative.
Marketing Research
Marketing Research is the systematic design, collection, and reporting of data and finding relevant to a specific marketing situation facing the company.
Philip Kotler
Research is any organized inquiry carried out to provide information for solving problems. Business Research is a systematic inquiry that provides information to guide business decision. Donald R. Cooper & Pamela S. Schindler Marketing research is a systematic and objective study of problems pertaining to the marketing of goods and services. G.C.Beri 79 | P a g e
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Marketing research and market research should not be confused. Market research --- research in to a particular market --- is just one component of marketing research. Generally companies have separate market research department. But in small companies this kind of separate department is very costly. There for they are taking help from out side researchers. And some time also big companies are using out side research firm. Out side researcher may be as follow: Engaging students or professors to design and carry out marketing research projects. Using online information services. Checking out rivals. Here for A Study on Defects of Promotional Strategies of Indian Tourism with special reference to MICE Tourism , by doing study on Promotional activities of Indian Tourism and Take Help from my Mentor. Marketing research is the only branch of the marketing information system. Market means actual and potential customers. Marketing research is the systematic and intelligent investigation or the study of the whom? What? How? Where? Why? Of actual and potential buyers. It deals with research on customer demand, e.g. behavior and attributes of consumers or customers at the market place, analysis of sales data, and analysis of market share of firm etc. marketing research is primary concerned with investigation, analysis and measurement of market demand. Marketing research specifies the information required to address these issues; design the method for collecting information; managers and implement the data collection process; analyze the result; and communicates the findings and their implication. Research starts with the question or problem. Its purpose is to find answers to questions through the application of the scientific method. It is a systematic and intensive study directed towards a more complete knowledge of the subject studied.
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Marketing research is a systematic & objective study of problems pertaining to the marketing of goods & services. It is primary concerned with investigation, analysis & measurement of market demand.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND PROCESS

For this research I had strictly followed the marketing research process given by Philip Kotler. In my research there are five steps for research.
1. Define Problem And Research Objectives 2. Develop The Research Plan. 3. Collect The Information. 4. Analyze The Information. 5. Present The Findings. 1. Define problem and research objectives: This is the first stage when need of research is felt. As it is known, business researches are applied researches meant to solve one or another problem or to en-cash on business opportunity. Very seldom, business researches are basic researches which are done to augment the knowledge of the particular disciplines. Marketing management must be careful not to define the problem too broadly or too narrowly for marketing researcher. Marketing manager and marketing researcher agreed to define problem. After that Marketing manager and marketing researcher ready to set specific objectives. The major objective of research is:
A STUDY OF DEFECTS OF PROMOTIONAL STRATEGIES OF INDIAN TOURISM

WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO MICE TOURISM.
2. Develop the research plan: -
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The second stage of marketing research calls for developing the most efficient plan for gathering the needed information. The marketing manager needs to know the cost of research plan before approving it. Designing a research plan calls for decisions on the Data base, Research approach, Research instrument, Sampling plan, and Contact methods. Data Source: The researcher can gather secondary source data, and primary source data, or both. Secondary data source are data that were collected for another purpose and already exists somewhere. Primary data are data freshly gathered for a specific purpose or a specific research project. Researchers usually start their investigation by examining secondary data to see whether the problem can be partly or wholly solved without collecting costly primary data. Secondary data provide a starting point for research. When the needed data do not exit, inaccurate, incomplete, unreliable, the researcher will have to collect primary data. Most marketing research projects involve some primary data collection. In my project I focused on Primary Source because of having direct contact with customer so that I can get relevant data, and Primary data are data freshly gathered for a specific purpose or a specific research project. I also used Secondary data.
(3.1) Research Approached: -Primary data can be collected in 5 ways. A. Observation Research: Fresh data can be gathered by observing the relevant actors and setting. But many people attached little importance to observation method when compare to survey method & experiments. But at the same times there are some limitations are also... like i. Past cannot be observed. ii. There are so many intangibles qualities that are not reflected properly & completely in behaviors.
B. Focus-grouped research: -
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A Focus group is a gathering of 6 10 people who are invited to spend a few hours with a skilled moderate to discuss a product, service, org. or other marketing entity. The moderate needs to be objective, knowledgeable on the issue, and skilled in-group dynamic.
C. Survey research: Survey are the best suited for Descriptive research. Companies undertake surveys to learn about peoples knowledge, belief, preference, and satisfaction, and to measure these magnitudes in the general population. D. Behavioral data: Customers leave traces of their purchasing behavior in store scanning data, catalog purchases, and customer database. Customers actual purchases reflect preference and often are more reliable than statements they offer to market researcher. People may report preferences for popular brands, and yet the data show them actually buying other brand.
E. Experimental Research: The most scientifically valid research is experiment research. The purpose of experimental research is to capture cause-ad-effect relationship by eliminating competing explanation of the observed finding. To the extent that the design and execution of the experiments eliminate alternative hypotheses that might explain the result, research and marketing manager can have confidence in the conclusion.
For my research purpose I had adopted Survey Research for the study purpose.
Research Instruments: -Marketing have choice in 3 main research instruments in collecting Primary Data: Questionnaires, Psychological tools, and Mechanical devices. a. Questionnaires: A questionnaire consists of a set of questions presented to respondents. Because of its flexibility, the questionnaire is by far most common instrument used to collect primary data. Questionnaire needs to be carefully developed, tested, and debugged before 83 | P a g e
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they are administered on a large scale. Marketing researcher distinguished between closedend and open-end questions. Closed end question specify all the possible answer and provided answer that are easier to interpret and tabulate.
b. Psychological tools: Marketing research can probe a buyers deeper belief and feelings using Psychological tools such as laddering techniques, depth interviews, and tests.
c. Mechanical Devises: Mechanical devices are occasionally used in marketing research.
d. Qualitative measures: Some marketers refer more qualitative methods for gauging consumer opinion because consumer actions do not always match their answer to survey questions. New tools such as videos, pagers, and informal interviewing will help marketers overcome the limitations of traditional research method.
In my research work I had used questionnaire for collection of my research data.
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(3.2) Sampling
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According to Manheim 1977:270, A Sampling is a part of the population which is studied in order to male inferences about the whole population. Population refers to all those people with the characteristics which they researcher wants to study with in the context of the particular research problem. A sample is a portion of people drawn from a larger population. It will be representative of the population only if it has same basic characteristics of the population from which it is drawn.
PRINCIPLES OF SAMPLING
The study of sample becomes necessary because study of a very large population would require a long period of time, a large number of interviewers, a large amount of money, and doubtful accuracy of data collected by numerous investigators. According to Sarantakos, 1998:140 some of the important principles are given below:
i. ii. iii. iv. v.
Sample units must be chosen in a systematic and objectives manner. Sample unit must be clearly defined and easily identifiable. Sample units must be independent of each other. Same unit of sample should be used throughout the study. The selection process should be based on sound criteria and should avoid errors, bias and distortions.
Sampling plan: After deciding research approach and instruments, the marketing research must design a sampling plan. This plan calls for three decisions: 1. Sampling Unit: The marketing researcher must define the target population that what will be sample. He must aware about who is to be surveyed?
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India. 2. Sample Size:
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In my research I had targeted only Corporate Travelers being a part of MICE Tourist within
Large sample size gives more reliable results the small samples. However, it is not necessary to sample the entire target population or even a substantial portion to achieve reliable results. Samples of less than 1 percent of a population can often provide goods reliability, with a credible sampling procedure.
Sample size can be defined on the basis of pre-testing of many samples after pre-testing of many persons. In this research my sample size 100. 3. Sampling Procedure And Methods: How the respondent should be chosen? To obtain a representative of sample a probability sample of the population should be drawn. There are two methods for taking samples,
TYPES OF SAMPLING
Probability Sampling Probability Sampling: 1. Simple Random Sample:
Non-probability sampling
Every member of the population has equal right of selection.
2. Stratified Random Sample: The total population is divided into mutually exclusive groups on the basis of demographic characteristic and random samples are to be drawn. 3. Cluster Sampling: The total population is divided into mutually exclusive groups on the basis of area and random samples are to be drawn. 86 | P a g e
Non Probability Sampling: 1. Convenience Sample:
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The researcher selects the sample as per his convenience and gets information from them. 2. Judgment Sample: The researcher selects the sample as per his personal judgment and gets information from them. 3. Quota Sample: The researcher divides the whole population and make quota and then use judgment or convenience sampling methods.
In the whole process methodology I have used Quota Sample method, and convince Sampling method. And it is Non-Probability Sampling method.
Contact Method: -Once the sampling plan has been determined, the marketing research must decide how the subject should be contacted: mail, telephone, personal, or online interview. A. Mail Survey: Many people believe that mail survey is not an appropriate method coz respondents will not take care of filling questionnaire in absence of data collectors & will never send back filled questionnaire. If mail survey is not done in systematic manner response rate can be as low as 2 5 %, because of this reason entire sampling process can become useless. This problem of low response can be over all by taking following precautions.
i. ii.
Questions should and simple and questionnaire should not be very lengthy. There should be covering letters explaining detail about survey & letter should end with the polite request in participate in survey process. 87 | P a g e
iii. We should use extremely reliable to courier or postal service. And many more... b. Personal survey method: --
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In personal survey method which is the most traditional survey method. Respondent are contacted personally by data collector & one try one they answer you questions that appears in questionnaire, with increase in wages and salary standard popularity in personal survey has decreased in America & special service, still personal survey remains most
Complete method of surveying, coz of presence of data collector.
Personal survey can be done by 3 methods, Personal survey method
In Home Survey
Mall Intercept Survey
CAPI
c. Telephonic Survey: -This method requires very high penetration or telephone facility in population & extremely reliable telephone services. There are 2 ways in which telephonic survey can be done: -Telephonic Survey: --
Traditional telephonic method
Computer Assisted Interview (CATI)
Telephone
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Structured Interview, and Questionnaire.. Duration of the study: -
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In personal survey method I have used direct survey method I.e. Observation method,
The research period was 2 months i.e. approx.8 weeks.
3. Collect the information: In marketing research, data collection is very important and very much crucial. Generally it is most expensive and most prone to error. In survey there is some of the problems arise, these are very much common. Some respondents will not be at the place in this project my mode of data collection is mainly primary wherein I have tried to take views of the only those traveler who have visit various parts of India as that of Mice tourim.
4. Analyze the information: Analyses the information is the second last step in research process. In this step I had tabulated all data in a specific format and develop frequency distribution. And try to analyze the collected data. Here I had used more than one variable and try use bilateral variables tables and try to show the effect of two variables. 5. Present the finding: After the analyses all data in a specific format, what researcher has found it is written in this step. This is the last step of the researcher process. In this process researcher may use different technique to present his/her findings. In this step researcher not show big numerical and statistical data but he give important findings because generally it is seen that top management has no time to read whole report but there are much interested in there findings. So, it is very much crucial and important step in marketing research process.
6. MAKE THE DECISION:-The managers who commissioned the research need to weigh the evidence. They know that the findings could suffer from a variety of errors. It their confidence in the finding is low, they may decide against introducing the in-flight internet service. If they are 89 | P a g e
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predisposed to launching the service, the findings support their inclination. They may even decide to study the issue further and do more research. The decision is their, but hopefully the research provide them with insight into the problem.
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(4) CORE CHAPTERS (4.1) EVALUATION OF PRIMARY SOURCES
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1. Consumer Survey: A Survey was conducted among international conference visitors to India over the Internet as well as in person at several conferences in within city. A large share of the responses was, however, filled up over the Internet (web-survey) made available online to a select group through networking sites of conference visitors. The focus was to understand various factors driving the choice of an international venue, specifically India, as well as expenditure patterns. This survey was also used to capture several perceptual dimensions among potential conference delegates who have not yet visited India. A total of 100 responses were used for the study.
2. Personal Interviews were conducted with domestic Professional Conference Organisers (PCO), tour operators and senior executives in leading hotel chains to get their views on the Indian market and suggestions for improvements. This interview also covered some of the premier ICPB Members. The primary focus for these interviews was to understand the Indian Conventions Market, how it has evolved over the past decade, and their individual views about the market development activities.
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(4.2) EVALUATION OF SECONDARY SOURCES

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Industry Reports from ICCA and UIA as well as International Association of Convention and Visitors Bureau (IACVB). These reports provided general information on world trends as well as specific geographical markets. Some of these reports also provided details about future market development activities for various cities in the world.
Websites of Convention and Visitors Bureaus worldwide - these helped in identifying individual positioning strategies for cities as well as countries and gathering possible/ applicable insights for ICPB in the Indian context. Some of the websites have user-friendly features, e.g. the website of Brussels City provided a detailed MICE toolkit, which could be used by a potential organiser to plan an event.
Journal Articles from Online Databases, e.g. EBSCO, Taylor & Francis, ProQuest, etc. on Tourism, convention and hospitality management. These articles provided insights from academic research, which had earlier focussed on various socio-economic variables for evaluating the impact of tourism on local economies.
Professional journals published in India, especially in areas of Pharmaceuticals, Medicine and Surgery, and Information Technology for information on upcoming/past events. A large number of conferences were categorised from the lists available in the journals.
Reports from the Ministry of Tourism including the International Passenger Survey (IPS), Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) study. These studies were used for insights on Business Tourism trends in India and to capture the direct as well as indirect impact of tourism on the Indian economy. The TSA methodology was adopted to assess the impact of convention tourism in the country. The analysis of this section is based on the National Income Statistics information of 2002. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Reports on Tourism employment offered an extensive understanding of the role of tourism in employment generation. These reports have investigated the employment-related and other dimensions of tourism for Asian countries like Thailand, Singapore including Oceania.
Annual reports of Visitors Bureaus as well as India Convention Promotion Bureau for comparison across contexts.
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(4.3) ANALYSIS OF DATA
1. How many times you travel in a year as a part of mice travel from your company? Absolute Frequency of Travel Once Twice Quarterly Monthly More Frequently Total 40 45 7 2 0 94 43 48 7 2 0 100 Percentage
2012
Frequency of Travel as a part of MICE Travel

45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Once Twice Quartely Monthly Frequency of Travel
Objective: This is a general question to know the proportion of frequency of the customers travelled as a part of MICE tourism so as to have an idea of proportion of one time customers and repetitive customers. It can be seen from table and graph that majority of the clients has been part of MICE travel only once or twice in a year. The proportion of more frequency of travel is comparatively
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promotional strategies need to be adopted to flourish this untapped market.
2012
low. This clearly means that MICE tourism is in introduction stage in India and more
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2. In this section, we wish to understand your expectations regarding the convention venue, as far as amenities/ facilities it should have: Kindly Rank the following facilities according to their importance (High, Medium or Low) HIGH Registration facilitation: Accommodation- Tie Up with Hotels (Range of 55 Budgets) Transportation (conference related) Access to Public Transport Multimedia/ Equipment Support at Venue Restaurant/ Catering Options Travel Desk for Onward Travel Recreational and hospitality Centres 65 40 50 35 70 68 35 50 45 55 25 30 55 0 10 5 10 5 2 5 40 5 for ConferenceSingle Window 40 MEDIUM 50 LOW 10
Conference/ Convention Venue aspects: Aesthetics, 40 Infrastructure, Ambience, Hygiene, Air Conditioning, etc.
120 100 80 60 Low 40 20 0 Medium High
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Objective : To assess clients opinion with regard to various facilities offered to them at conventional venue so that various packages and schemes are to be built up by tour operators in order to improve present facilities available to potential clients. Here i have used three type of ratings i.e., HIGH, MEDIUM & LOW. From the above graph it is cleared that maximum facilities in convention venue are moderately good, but still there is scope of improvement in areas such as restaurants & other convention aspects like infrastructure.
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ORGANISER EPIC INDIA CLASSIC TOURS SOTC COX & KINGS LOCATION DELHI, JAIPUR,
2012
3. Who was the organiser for the previous conference that you last attended (Within India)?
DELHI, CHENNAI, BANGALORE DELHI, MUMBAI, CHENNAI, JAIPUR DELHI, MUMBAI, GOA, HYDERABAD
Objective: to know about the various organiser who gives the facility of conference to the corporate clients in order to know the various players of the same in the city. The above anlayis of organiser shows the list available players within the city and various venue of the conference available to them.
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to your experience(s) abroad? ASPECTS POOR
2012
4. How would you rate INDIA as a conference destination on the following aspects as compared
NEED TO SATISFACTORY EXCELLENT IMPROVE
_ Registration Facilitation:
25
65 35
10 17
0 3
_ Quality Accommodation- 45 Range: _ Conference Related 5
60
30
Transportation: _ Access to other Public 2 Transport: _ Multimedia/ Equipment 1 Support at the venue _ Restaurant/ Catering 7 30 53 10 20 69 10 45 30 23
Options _ Travel Desk for Onward 2 Travel _ Recreational and 4 15 70 11 20 75 3
hospitality Centres _ VenueAesthetics, 1 Facilities, 12 78 9
Ambience, Hygiene, etc.
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80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
POOR NEED TO IMPROVE SATISFACTORY EXCELLENT
Objective: to know the level of satisfaction among the corporate clients about the MICE destinations within India, the various facilities of these destination are listed and are enquired about their rating through four scale i.e., POOR, NEED TO IMPROVE, SATISFACTORY & EXCELLENT.
The above graph shows that very few facilities is ranked as EXCELLENT, while ancillary facilities in such destinations such as food, travel desk, etc shows more of SATISFACTORY rank, on other hand facilities related to corporate travel is ranked as NEED TO IMPROVE, so improvement need to be done on over all facilities given to potential clients within India by various tour operators.
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spend on the following activities? NO OF DAYS 1 2 3 4 5 NUMBER OF CLIENTS 10 30 40 15 5
2012
5. How many days do you plan to stay within India? Out of these days how many do you plan to
NUMBER OF CLIENT VISITING DESTINATIONS
1 2 3 4 5
Objective: to know the visit tenure of clients to destination within india. In order to analyse the various facilities which need to be focused according to the tenure of potential clients.
The above graph shows the tenure of visit of potential customer in days form. It shows that more of client stayed for 2-3days at highest level.
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Thus tour operators shall take the opportunity for the same and make itinerary which may include city tour or such excursion which may promote tourism at whole rather than a particular niche market of corporate tourism.
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6. Out of these days how many do you plan to spend on the following activities? Conference/ Convention: _______ Days Other Official Engagements: _______ Days Social Visits (Friends/ Relatives) _______ Days Tourism: _______ Days ACTIVITIES Conference Official Engagement Social Visit Tourism
2012
AVERAGE NUMBER OF DAYS 2 1 1 1
Average Number of Days

2 1.8 1.6 1.4 1.2 1 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 Conference Official Engagement Social Visit Tourism
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applicable) REAONS Conference/Convention Official networking) Visit to other place 15% FREQUENCY 75 %
2012
7. What was your primary reason for considering INDIA for this visit? (Please tick as
Engagement(Inauguration, 10%
Frequency Of Visit
Conference(MICE) Official Visits Other Places
Objective : To know the reason behind frequency of travel within India to analyse the reason behind it and frame the strategy for the same. Tour operators make itinerary to fulfil all needs of clients, so it is very important to know the reason of travelling without which customer retention is very tedious job
The above graph shows that corporate clients are more interested in their work related travel rather than other ancillary such as official visits or tourism travel. So i suggest to focus on activities and facilities related to MICE such as building their infrastructure, creation of pleasant ambience, multimedia services, etc. 103 | P a g e
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8. What according to YOU should be the PRIORITY areas of improvement for INDIA, to emerge as a strong international Conventions/ Conference(MICE) destination? (Please TICK/ Rank the items according to your perceived priority) FACILITIES RANKING
Infrastructure at Conference/ Convention 70 % Centres Public transport facilities Pre-Event Conference Management Quality of Accommodation 40% 80%
around 60%
Conference Venue Recreational/ Tourism Facilities 20%
Food-court Quality/ Ambience, Catering 35% at Conference venue Additional Services: Ticketing, FOREX, 15% City Tours, etc
Ranking Of Services
Infrastructure Transport Prior Managemnt Accommodation Recreational Catering Additional Services
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Objective: To know the ranking or Priority of clients towards the facility or offerings at MICE destinations in order to improve their services and attract more of corporate client and make India as corporate hub compared to other Asian countries in near future. In the above diagram it can be clearly seen that corporate clients are more interested in facilities such as Infrastructure of Conventions, Accommodation & Pre-Conference Management. The above analysis is the result of ranking by clients the more higher ranking to a particular facility is transformed to more percentage of priority.
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9. What are the most important factors that you consider, when you organise an International Conference / Convention as compare to India (please indicate the level of importance- High Medium Low) Factor(s) for Consideration Availability of Infrastructure HIGH for 70 MEDIUM 20 LOW 10
Convention/ Conference Political Stability Relatively easy Connectivity by AIR 80 65 20 25 35 0 10 10
Availability of Qualified Manpower to 55 handle event Ease of Immigration Process 80
10 30
10 20
Availability of transport infrastructure in 50 and around the venue Tourism and Recreational Centres 20
20 40
60 10
Regulatory issues pertaining to hosting 50 the Event Quality of the Venue- infrastructure, 70 reputation, ambience, etc.
20
10
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DEFECTS IN THE PROMOTION OF TOURISM IN INDIA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO MICE TOURISM Factors of International Mice Destination.
120 100 80 60
2012
Low 40 20 0 Medium High
Objective: To know the raking of mice destination on international standard and how other destinations other than India is being performed in this segment to make comparison in various factors. The above graph shows that only 10-20 % factors are ranked low, while maximum factors are ranked HIGH, as there standards are high and clients have least complain about these facilities in abroad as they are in this segment since many years and continuous monitoring and quality management has made them expertise and professional in this field.
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your rating for each factor i.e., high-medium-low. Factor(s) for Consideration Availability of Infrastructure HIGH for 60 MEDIUM 30
2012
10. If you have to rate above factors in consideration of convention that in india what will be
LOW 10
Convention/ Conference Political Stability Relatively easy Connectivity by AIR 90 60 5 30 50 5 10 10
Availability of Qualified Manpower to 40 handle event Ease of Immigration Process 40
30 70
30 10
Availability of transport infrastructure in 20 and around the venue Tourism and Recreational Centres 80
10 40
10 30
Regulatory issues pertaining to hosting 30 the Event Quality of the Venue- infrastructure, 65 reputation, ambience, etc.
25
10
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120 100 80 60
2012
Low 40 20 0 Medium High
Objective : To make the comparison of Indias facilities towards MICE destinations as compared to International standards of other countries, to make the necessary improvements in strategies of promotion of MICE tourism in India, in order to flourish the Indian Tourism as whole. The above graph shows that as compared to above graph of International Destinations India is minutely backward in offerings as seen in diagram HIGH ranking is lower in India while Medium rating is more found in other ancillary services like manpower, immigration, transportation, etc.
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11. What are reasons for choice for an individual to choose to attend a conference ? REASONS PERCENTAGE
2012
Reasons for choice for an individual to 40% choose to attend a conference Location Safety and security of the destination Because I attend this event regularly 35% 60% 42%
Opportunity of visit a new town, region 64% or country
Reasons For Visit
Personal Choice Location Security Regularity Exploration
Objective: To know the reason for choosing a particular destination by potential client for corporate meetings and conventions. So ,as to determine the basis for targeting them to influence more clients towards a particular destination and develop those reasons in other destinations too to create a balance of development in all areas within India. The above diagram shows that clients more over preferred security and exploration of new venue which must be focused by organiser in future trips.
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12. The first impression of India as Mice destination FACTORS RANKING
2012
Living with ease (particularly in terms of 48% residence and transportation) A stable hub for business and talents 32%
At home with nature (the expanse of 7% greenery across the land) Shoppers haven an enriching arts and entertainment scene 10% 3%
Ranking of India as Mice Destination
Easy life Stabel Hub Homely Shoppers Hub Art & Entertainment
Objective: To know the favourable reasons of visiting within India as Mice Destination to rank India worldwide on the same.
The above diagram shows ranking of India as Mice Destination due to various reason, in which most ranked reason is Ease of life i.e., easy availability of housing and transportation facilities and other such reason is stable hub for business activities. 111 | P a g e
feature. 13. The advantages for Indias quest to position itself as a MICE destination ADVANTAGES Space unlimited Fresh air connectivity Sufficient infrastructure (facilities, venues, transportation) Strong competition from established destination in same level (Other Asian Countries) Image strongly associated with being an International Metropolis Strong support from government PREFERENCE 52% 22% 18% 8%
2012
Thus, India can be promoted as Mice Destination on the basis of easy life & its stability
3% 7%
ADVANTAGE OF INDIA
60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Objective: To know Indias advantageous position as one of the MICE destination. To analyse the positive points of India and give equal preference to other factors too.
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In the above chart, it can be seen that India is at advantage due to its Spacious land, easy connectivity, and proper infrastructure, but other points are very low which is the main part of MICE tourism which need to be focused, without which Indias survival in near future is at big threat.
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14. The disadvantages for Indias quest to position itself as a MICE destination REASONS Expensive: High cost in doing meeting or exhibition Overcrowded road and traffic congestion Lack of effective MICE tourism strategy policy Land and labor shortage lodging under-capacity Population over capacity Language Problems PREFERENCE 8% 30% 22% 12% 12% 8% 8%
2012
Disadvantages of India as Mice Destination

30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%
Objective: To know the factors causing disadvantage to India as major MICE destination. To improve these weakness into major strengths and become versatile in all sectors of tourism.
The above diagram clearly shows that on a major part India is seen as over-crowded place as some areas are not properly organised and on other side there is serious lack of strategy of Mice on national ground, government need to build strong foundation for the same to remove this barrier in Indian tourism.
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15. As India a MICE destination, the satisfaction of seven factors in India performance. Excellent=5, Good=4, Moderate=3, Poor=2, Very Poor=1. FACTORS MICE facilities & lodging Cost affordability Service quality professionalism Leisure & Entertainment Facilities Infrastructure accessibility Business-Friendliness image Government support 12 6 10 38 24 40 30 50 30 12 18 19 8 2 1 20 4 10 22 16 30 38 60 50 10 10 7 10 10 3 5 10 4 37 3 43 2 5 1 5
2012
60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Excellent Good Moderate Poor Very Poor
Objective: To know the various performance factors of India as MICE destination, to analyse its strength & weakness for building of further strategies. The above graph shows that Indias performance is ranked moderately on a major part, i.e., we are at average position, so there is a greater scope of Improvement on areas such as
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compared to other factors.
2012
business-friendliness image and government support as these factors are ranked poorly as
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16. Compared to various cities in India, which city will you consider as best MICE destination CITY RANKING Pune 12 % Hyderabad 8% Goa 2% Chennai 2% Mumbai 20% Ahmedabad 2% Jaipur 2% Kolkata 2% Kochi 2% Bangalore 16% Agra 4% Delhi 30%
Ranking of Cities in India

Pune Hyderbad Goa Chennai Mumbai Ahmedabad Jaipur Kolkata Kochi Bangalore Agra Delhi
Objective: To know the preference of cities within India as major MICE destination by potential clients. The above chart shows that cities like Delhi, Bangalore & Mumbai are more preferred by clients due to its development phase and easy accessibility to all major facilities needed for MICE tourism. Private companies, Government & tour operators must take initiative to create balance growth & development in all cities rather than only metro cities. 117 | P a g e
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17. What are the different promotion tools government needs to promote in India? TOOLS PREFERENCE Advertising/Media Coverage Liaison with other agencies 30% 50 %
Hotels / Tie-up with Associations / etc.)
20%
Promotional Tools
Advertising Liaison Hotel Tie-ups
Objective: To make a survey from potential clients to know the best attracted strategy for them, so as to implement it for better targeted result in the form of better distribution and awareness of MICE tourism to all potential clients within India & abroad too.
The above graph shows that potential client prefer liaison as major tool of promotion as brand image of one of the tie-up spread its strength to various people, as with strong image, a good quality of service is attached to it, so tour operators before organising or making package for MICE need to focus on tie-ups of the event or tour.
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(5) CONCLUSION (5.1) SUGGESTED ANALYSIS
2012
The Indian Convention Industry is currently at a nascent stage, contributing only a small proportion of the world conventions business. In terms of number of meetings, India has a share of 1% and in terms of delegate arrivals/ participation, 0.7% of the world figures. In terms of revenue figures, due to lack of agreement on the definition of conventions and conferences as well as absence of records, it is quite difficult to assign a value of this business in the national context. However, this study has tried to cover broad categories and segments of conferences taking place and the rough estimates peg the revenues between Rs. 4,000 & Rs. 5,500 Crores annually (for calculation, please refer to Appendix 7.1.6). According to TSA (2006), the entire tourism sector contributes to approximately 2.2% to the GDP and convention tourism business in turn contributes 5-7% of the tourism revenues. Although this figure of 5-7% is at par with the other convention destinations, in volume terms, it is small given the potential of India. However, based on an analysis of secondary information as well as extensive interviews with several professionals during the study, it became apparent that India is at an inflection point as far as the conventions and conferences business is concerned. With the emergence of India as a key economic hotspot along with China, and the countrys recent tourism boom (with an increase in inbound travel from several international destinations for leisure, business and medical tourism), convention tourism has enormous possibilities in the country. Indias growing strength in the Information Technology arena, as well the booming civilian Airlines industry has prompted prominent international bodies to host trade shows and conventions in the country and similar prominence in the bio-technology area and manufacturing sector is also expected to bring convention revenues to the country in the coming years.
Emerging Trends in the Country A Consumer survey was conducted among 75 international delegates across several conferences in Bangalore, New Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram. While the consumer survey revealed consumers perceptions about India as a destination and also revealed information on expenditure patterns for different product/ service heads, it also provided details about potential opportunities for Tourism along with the convention market. This survey had 119 | P a g e
Surveys used for the Study)
2012
collected information mainly on the following aspects: (for details: Ref. Appendix 7.5-
Profile of Conference Visitor, his preference for India as a convention destination on the basis of various parameters. (These parameters were decided on the basis of secondary research on business and conventions travel)
Expenditure habits, Duration of stay Data on a large number of Conferences/ Tradeshows/ Meetings organised between 2003 & 2007 was collected to analyse attendee trends along with effects of seasonality in the Indian market. This dataset contained a total of 2,089 conferences, meetings, exhibitions that were held during the 4-year period across different locations in the country. This dataset was created by information provided by ICPB Members, and various secondary sources including Newspaper articles, Journal advertisements, websites of professional bodies, research and academic institutions. For the purpose of this study, the focus was limited to the top 10 conference destinations in the country. This study utilised the raw data collected for the International Passenger Survey (IPS), which included the information on business visitors. This data was complemented by incorporating the expenditure data collected through the consumer survey carried out specifically for this study.
Convention tourists spend slightly less than business visitors in terms of total expenditure. However they stay for a shorter duration. Hence, their expenditure/day is many times higher.
Among the type of visitors, Repeat Visitors are found to spend slightly more than First time visitors.
Table : Average Expenditures of Repeat / First time Visitors (Source: Consumer Survey, IIMB) Average expenditure First Time Visitor Repeat Visitor Grand Total In USD 1045 1183 1091 120 | P a g e
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Business and professional tourists are part of a lucrative segment and tend to spend more than average tourists. Business visitors spend close to 10% more than Others.
Table : Expenditures of Business visitors (Source: IPS, NCAER) Average Expenditures (Bus Vs Others) In USD Average Expenditure(Bus vs Others) Others Business Grand Total In USD 1203 1362 1257
Business visitors spend as much time as other tourists in the country. They might possibly have tourist itineraries too as 20 days of average duration of stay seems high for business only visits. The highest duration of stay is attributed to Employment related visitors (44 days), Religion and Pilgrimage and Health and Treatment visitors come next with average stays of 30 days.
Convention Centres account for only 10% of the conventions that are held in the country.However, this figure corresponds to stand-alone convention centres. Convention centres/ halls in major hotels have been classified under the category of Hotels. Exhibition Centres include locations, which have permanent structures (halls, etc.) to host conferences, whereas exhibition grounds are locations with no permanent infrastructure for hosting such events. (Please refer to table below).
Table : Choice of Convention Venues (Source: Dataset of Events in India, 2005-2006) Year 2005 2006 Year Commercial Complex Convention Centre Exhibition Centre Exhibition Ground Hotel Institution 2005 3% 7% 25% 1% 49% 14% 2006 5% 10% 28% 2% 49% 6%
Professional Conference Organisers are the single biggest customer/ stakeholder for promoting conventions in the country. 121 | P a g e
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Only 5% of the conferences held in the country attract foreign delegate participation. The average duration of conferences in India is 3 days. The average participation per event is 226 delegates.
Conference and Tradeshows are the two most important categories of events that happen in India. Between them, they account for 85% of all MICE events. The top Convention destinations (6 metros + 4 locations) account for 70% of all the conventions organised in the country. The Medical and Pharmaceutical industries constitute the most important segment; accounting for 38% of all conferences. Seasonal trends are evident in the scheduling of conferences in India. Most events are organized during the months of September to January; these months account for about 60% of the annual events. This seasonality was evident from the data collected on 2,089 business events held in the country during 2003-07. The adjoining table highlights the events spread for 2006 (827 events).
Table : Seasonality in Indian Conference Business (Source: Dataset of Events in India, 200307) Month No. of Events Percentage Month Jan-06 Feb-06 Mar-06 Apr-06 May-06 Jun-06 Jul-06 Aug-06 Sep-06 Oct-06 Nov-06 Dec-06 No. Of Events 84 56 53 62 36 40 44 54 102 62 119 115 Percentage 10.2% 6.8% 6.4% 7.5% 4.4% 4.8% 5.3% 6.5% 12.3% 7.5% 14.4% 13.9% 122 | P a g e
Total 827 100%
2012
Discussions with convention organisers revealed that most operators/ organisers tend to plan their events around the latter half of the year, which as mentioned earlier, coincides with the peak season of leisure tourism in the country. There is a dominant perception among both domestic and foreign organisers that it would be very difficult to host conventions/ conferences during the hot summer months owing to the heat, which would make most international travellers feel uneasy. It is further highlighted that many of the western countries announce an alert about visiting India during the summer and rainy season, because of the prevalence of water-borne diseases and other ailments. Such perceptions need to be addressed by media plan as well as educating operators/organisers. Dubai, which shares similar weather conditions, has managed to develop thriving business tourism and conventions business during its harsh summer months.
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(5.2) SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
Economic Impact of Conventions - The Multiplier Effect CONVENTIONS AND THEIR IMPACT
2012
Conventions in many countries contribute to both the regional and national economies. Not only do they contribute economically to their host destinations but also accelerate the growth of overall travel and tourism activities through repeat visits and word of mouth communication. As seen in the figure, the extent of convention infrastructure determines the extent of impact that different events have on the local economy. Conventions have an impact on different allied industries such as tourism, hotels, handicrafts, transport, etc. Business Tourism accounts for about two percent of national output and about 13 lakh jobs in India on an annual basis. (Source: Tourism Satellite Account, 2002-03). Additionally the growth of this industry has a number of tertiary benefits such as upgradation of general Infrastructure in urban areas, development of tourist circuits and education, and economic well being for the local populace. Figure : Conventions and their impact
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ECONOMICS OF CONVENTIONS Over the past decades, the growth of the worldwide convention industry has sparked an awareness of the economic significance of conventions to local and national economies. Expenditure by visitors in a convention destination sets off a complex chain of economic events, which can be described as the economic impact of convention tourism. Three types of expenditures are generated by conventions: by delegates, by associations and by exhibitors. The true impact of conventions on the economy is difficult to calculate, as the convention industry is a composite industry with a complex amalgam of different activities in different sectors of the economy. On the expenditure side conventions result in direct and indirect contributions to the economy. Not only do they provide employment and revenue but also provide an important source of tax revenue. Expenditure by visitors in a convention destination sets off a complex chain of economic events, which can be described as the economic impact of convention tourism. Not only do
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The occurrence of a convention impacts many industries such as: _ Professional Congress Organizers _ Conventions and trade fair centre _ Hotels & Restaurants _ Airlines and Surface transport _ Travel Agencies _ Leisure activities _ Stand Erection companies
2012
they provide employment and revenue but also provide an important source of tax revenue.
_ Specialist suppliers: projection and audio systems, translation and simultaneous interpretation, lighting, catering, signposting, accreditations, auxiliary staff, training institutes, promotional merchandising production _ Freight/Customs/Logistics agencies _ Handicraft and souvenirs companies _ Security and cleaning companies _ Design and printing companies Meetings and conventions offer high value added in terms of delegate expenditure and also serve the dual purpose of promoting international relations. It is a highly profitable type of tourism as most delegates are subsidized and tend to use costly accommodation and often travel before and after the event. The MICE sector also helps increase local government and private sector investments that result in improvements in the general hospitality environment of the destination. Service based industries such as the convention sector have an added advantage in that they create less pollution as compared to process industries. Thus, promoting conventions generates employment and output without the disadvantages of environmental degradation. They also help in protecting and showcasing the heritage of the country by providing opportunities and venues for displaying the countrys rich history in handicrafts, art forms and culture. Finally, the value chain in tourism is highly labour intensive and hence contributes significantly to employment opportunities. _ Manufacturing & Construction _ Retail and Repairs 126 | P a g e
_ Hotels and catering, Restaurants _ Transport, warehousing and communications _ Financial services _ Real estate, business and rental services _ Public administration, defence and social security _ Teaching _ Community, social and personal services
2012
Organization of conventions requires a wide range of specialists from all educational levels from university graduates to specialist technical staff and skilled manual workers. In addition ensuring that conferences happen during the off-season can make up for seasonality effects of general tourism. Thus undesirable social effects of seasonal tourism such as migration, temporary employment, and job instability are avoided. These events can also be termed as knowledge tourism as they promote the exchange of ideas, technology and commercial knowledge that contribute to an intangible but important source of value add to the economy of the host country. MULTIPLIER EF FECT As seen in the previous section convention related spending has an impact on other related sectors of the economy. This impact is measured through the use of multipliers, which can be of different forms such as output, employment, income and value-added multipliers. The output multiplier measures the amount of output generated from one-unit change in spending by convention delegates or hosts. An employment multiplier estimates the number of full-time jobs generated from one unit increase in the spending by the convention delegates or hosts. The higher the labour intensity of the sector, the higher would be the employment multiplier for that sector. Typically, labour-intensive industries such as restaurants, hotels, shopping and recreational services are the sectors, which are likely to create more jobs through conventions. The income multiplier measures the effect of an extra unit of
KEY CHARACTERI STICS OF BUS INESS TOURI SM (Source: www.businesstourismpartnership.com/pubs/Tony%20Rogers.pdf) 127 | P a g e
Principal Characteristics of business tourism include the following: 1 It is at the high quality, high yield end of the tourism spectrum 2 It is resilient, sustainable and complements the leisure tourism sector
2012
3 Investments in Business tourism facilities lead to the regeneration of urban and inner city areas 4 Business Tourism stimulates future inward investment as business people see the attractions of a destination while travelling on business or to attend a conference, exhibitions or incentive, and then return to establish business operations there 5 Research suggests that approximately 40% of business travellers will return with their families or colleagues as leisure visitors they have enjoyed visiting on business convention spending on the changes that result in the level of household incomes in the convention hosting region or country. The income multiplier is important because it most clearly demonstrates the economic impact on residents welfare.
Value added multipliers used in this study include wages and salaries, operating surpluses, depreciation of fixed capital and indirect taxes less subsidies. The multiplier has been calculated at the national level using the results of the Tourism Satellite Account of India Report prepared by NCAER for the Ministry of Tourism and the study on Tourism Employment in the Asia-Pacific Region prepared by the ISID (Pais, 2006). The methodology for calculating the direct effects of employment from the convention sector has been obtained from this paper on Tourism Employment. However, for calculation purposes, the expenditure data for conference delegates is based on the findings of the primary survey conducted among conference delegates (rather than general business travellers) and the data on expenditure for business visitors has been obtained from the IPS study conducted by NCAER.
VALUE ADD FROM TOURISM The methodology for estimating the contribution of business visitors in India has been based on the ISID report on Tourism employment (Source: Author: Pais, Jesim, ISID Working Papers, 2006/4), as it is the only study conducted in the recent past to segregate the contribution of foreign tourists to employment in India. The definition of foreign tourist for this study has been taken as any person normally living outside India (with an Indian or 128 | P a g e
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foreign nationality) and travelling to India for less than 12 months and whose main purpose of the trip is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited. All other studies include the effects of domestic tourism on employment. The nature of foreign tourism is very different from that of domestic tourism and at a more specific level the nature of expenditure of foreign delegates to conventions is further different from that of local Indian delegates. The primary survey, which was conducted exclusively among Conference Delegates, revealed the expenditure patterns of this segment, the focus of this study, which was then used in conjunction with the ISID Study to derive the impact of conventions business on employment. The ISID study computes Employment coefficients for each of the sub-sectors that provide goods and services to foreign delegates such as hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, cultural and recreational services, handicrafts, textiles etc. Employment coefficients measure the ratio between employment and output/value added in a sector. In this study we define employment coefficient for a sector as the number of workers employed in that sector for every million dollar of USD value added in that sector.
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(5.3) IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY
IMPICATIONS OF MICE TOURISM IN INDIA
2012
Business tourism contributes to at least 2.2% of Indias GDP. The share of business tourism is only set to increase with the development of India as a major hub of economic activity in Asia and the world
Based on present trends 13 lakh jobs will be directly added annually on account of business tourism without any intervention from the government. Active involvement of the government can increase opportunities manifold given the overall macroeconomic conditions in both the local and global economy
India is a large country. The impact on local economies is bound to be much higher. States like Kerala, Goa and Rajasthan, which attract a large number of foreign tourists will benefit immensely from business tourism, as the recreational tourist circuit is already better developed than the rest of the country. Their proximity to important business destinations such as Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai make them the ideal starting point for promoting MICE tourism in the country.
Urban centres such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore will also substantially benefit from efforts made towards attracting business visitors. They need to shift to a service based economy to reduce the congestion and degradation caused by industrialization. The tourism sector is highly labour intensive and hence is an ideal opportunity for such centres where opportunities for business networking are already in place on account of the growth of ITES and the technology industries
The hospitality industry is impacted by business tourism to a large extent. Indias culinary traditions and cultural heritage provide an immense competitive advantage that cannot be easily replicated by competing countries in Asia and elsewhere. Additionally this industry is highly labour intensive and hence contributes to the creation of jobs while protecting and saving the countrys cultural heritage
Business visitors tend to spend more on account of the company accounts that they travel on. Hence, attracting those gives more return for money spent on developing tourism. They are well educated and well networked and hence tapping them creates word of mouth publicity that is a good way of marketing Indian destinations.
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The tourism industry in India is highly seasonal (60% of events are organised between September and January). Promoting business tourism and conventions during the offseasons will require support from the state and central governments as well as private operators in the hospitality industry. State governments like Goa and Rajasthan have slashed state taxes by half during the off-season to attract more visitors. Similarly, the hotels have also lowered tariffs during these months. Such initiatives can be replicated in other popular destinations to promote the lean months.
The development of any economy is related heavily to the transfer of knowledge, ideas and skills from other parts of the globe that have access to advanced technologies. Meetings and conventions are held with the explicit intention of facilitating such knowledge transfers and hence their role in the development of any economy is invaluable and is beyond the contribution that they directly make to the national or local GDP. Promoting this sector is a driver to the development of strong Indian companies and upgrading the skills of Indias coveted and publicized human capital.
The tourism sector is a composite industry and hence its development helps decrease inequalities and promotes social welfare, as people with different skill sets are involved in the entire value chain. Thus the benefits of development in this sector would impact an executive in a MNC hotel chain to an artisan in a rural community, an entrepreneur running a restaurant to a driver driving a cab, a polyglot translating in French and German to a mason building roads - in short the privileged elite to the deprived rustic.
Private investments in building tourism infrastructure including convention centres should be encouraged. Public Private Partnerships is being facilitated through the provision of viability-gap funding through the Finance Ministry. Governments can facilitate the private participation by improving related infrastructure (e.g. transport, communication) and speeding requisite clearances.
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Indian Cities and Market Potential
2012
This section of the study looks into the detailed aspects, which ideally are part customers want lists and must have lists worldwide. This is fairly comprehensive in nature and of course in most cases, some aspects are either overlooked or considered not so important depending on the context of the conference/ convention. Data were collected through consumer survey on perceptions of India vis-vis other Asian destinations- which is presented in a tabular format to identify dimensions where India fares competitively or others and further summarised as part of the Importance (ranks provided by consumers for various prerequisite dimensions) and (Indias) Performance (IP) matrix in the next section.
THE SITE SELECTION The factors that affect the decision to locate conventions in specific centres hinges on the criteria of different association policies and requirements. However, some of the key factors those are common across different kinds of events while selecting venues are as follows:
ACCESSIBILITY _ Cost: the monetary expense of transportation and access _ Time: the duration/distance of travel involved and the opportunity cost of that time _ Frequency: the frequency of connections to the site _ Convenience: the scheduling convenience of the connections _ Barriers: the extent of any travel formalities, which inhibit travel such as visas, customs, etc.
LOCAL SUPPORT _ Local Chapter: the extent of assistance and backing offered by the local chapter of the Association _ CVB/Convention Centre: the extent of planning, logistical and promotional support offered _ Subsidies: the extent to which the destination offers to defray costs through rebates and subsidies
OTHER ATTRACTIONS 132 | P a g e
_ Entertainment: Restaurants, Bars, Theatres, Nightclubs etc _ Shopping: Malls, Major Department Stores, Low Prices etc
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_ Sightseeing: Architecture, Museums, Monuments, Attractions, Parks, Historical Sites, Local Tours. _ Recreation: Sports And Activities Either As Spectator Or Participant _ Professional opportunities: Visiting Local Clients, Negotiations, Business Deals, Selling, Making Contacts etc.
ACCOMODATION FACILITIES _ Capacity: The number of rooms available and whether more than a single hotel is required _ Cost: The cost of suitable accommodation at the site _ Service: The perception of standards of service _ Security: The extent to which the hotels provide safe and secure environment _ Availability: Are the facilities available when required?
MEETING FACILITIES _ Capacity: ability of site to provide suitable sized facilities _ Layout: suitability of facility layout and floor plan _ Cost: the cost of the meeting space required _ Ambience: the ability of the facility to create an appropriate atmosphere and environment _ Service: the perception of the standards of service _ Security: the extent to which the facility provides a safe and secure meeting space _ Availability: are the facilities available when required
INFORMATION _ Experience: has the site performed satisfactorily in the past _ Reputation: what is the reputation of the destination among other meeting planners _ Marketing: the effectiveness of the destinations marketing activities
SITE ENVIRONMENT _ Climate: the desirability of the destinations climate 133 | P a g e
_ Setting: the attractiveness of the destinations surroundings _ Infrastructure: the suitability and standard of local infrastructure
2012
_ Hospitality: the extent to which the host organizations and community excel in welcoming visitors
OTHER CRITERIA _ Risks: the possibility of strikes, natural disasters, boycotts, and other possible adverse events _ Profitability: the extent to which the site would produce a profit for the organizers _ Association Promotion: would the site add credibility to the association and build membership _ Novelty: the extent to which the destination represents a novel location for the associations next convention Table: Factors used for Considering the Venue for an International Conference (Source: Consumer Survey) Rank Factor Score RANK FACTOR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Business/ Networking Total Cost Conference Facilities Miscellaneous Facilities Connectivity Accommodation Immigration Tourism Other Recreation SCORE 7.8 5.8 5.6 5.6 5.4 4.4 4.0 3.1 3.1
As seen in the table above the most important factor for conference delegates is the business/ networking opportunity that is made available to them.
BENCHMARKING WITH OTHER ASIAN DESTINATIONS In this section an attempt is made to analyse the Asian Market for conventions in terms of the 134 | P a g e
2012
overall appeal of different cities as convention venues. The attractiveness of each of the centres is compared to that of India as a conference destination. The following conclusions are based on the consumer survey conducted among conference delegates for their perception about Indian venues vis- vis other prominent Asian destinations. Respondents were asked to rank India against an Asian Destination, which they have already visited- and indicate whether specific facilities/ aspects were better or worse on a scale of 5 (where a score of greater than 3 would mean better in India or less than 3 would mean worse in India).
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Table : Comparison of Asian Destinations with India (Source: Primary Survey).
2012
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SUMMARY HIGHLIGHTS FROM RESEARCH
2012
Almost all the organisers have expressed their concerns over infrastructure; lack of roads,
adequate capacities at airports as well as quality accommodation facilities at reasonable prices. Overall, the current infrastructure is not capable of handling very large conferences even at major destinations.
Visa regime needs to be simplified. Most organisers felt that high hotel rates during the tourist season are a dampener for
attracting events to India. Support from the government to bid for conferences can bring tourism revenues to India. Governments of Thailand, China and Taiwan and other Asian countries send impressive delegations, which strengthen their cases. Delegations from these countries arrive with aggressive backing and clear mandate from the government to bid and win conventions, which can be adopted by our Indian government.
A professional body to track international meetings market and support Indian associations
will help tilt the decision for location in favour of India. ICPBs potential role is enormous in terms of providing guidance for organisers. Most agreed that the benefits of organising international conferences cannot be measured only in expenditure terms- they open up far greater opportunities- access to markets, boosting entrepreneurial ventures, giving young professionals opportunities to interact with the best of the minds in the world.
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Identifying Gaps- Infrastructure + Institutional + Regulations
2012
In this section, we have summarised the key gaps in attracting international conventions to India. These observations were arrived through an analysis of the consumer survey (identifying key dimensions), study of prominent international destinations, interviews with professionals which are described under the section.
Most prominent convention destinations have succeeded because of a conscious effort to develop infrastructure for convention business. Although most European and North American convention centres have been largely funded by public investment, experiences from Singapore. Bangkok and Jakarta indicate that Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) can work equally well.
The critical aspect is to understand the Eco-System for convention business, which thrives on availability of good quality and affordable hotel rooms, excellent connectivity, well developed public transport network and ancillary facilities around the convention venue.
Top destinations in the world have retained their position due to support provided by their governments. Most cities have invested heavily in local transport network- an integrated mass transit network to enable travellers seamlessly transfer between different transport facilities within the city. In India, these investments have been patchy. ICPB, as a nodal agency, is uniquely placed to lobby with the governments at the central and state level for improving convention and allied infrastructure.
Almost all conference organising associations and individual organisers agreed on the need for a nodal body, which can facilitate the entire process of convention management. They reiterated the need for a single-window clearance mechanism through ICPB. However, awareness of ICPB is limited outside Delhi.
Most Asian destinations are now aggressively marketing their convention facilities. Their diplomatic missions actively support delegations while bidding for conventions. Indias diplomatic missions abroad will have to play a greater supportive role especially during the bidding process for conventions. ICPB and the India Tourism offices will have to exhibit visible support from the government during the bid presentation.
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Convention Boards around the world including Vienna, Singapore, Brussels and Bangkok have been lauded for their pro-active role in promoting conventions in the city/ country. ICPB is currently perceived as a liaison body, which informs potential opportunities to its member fraternity. Thus there is scope for enhancing ICPBs role.
Although inbound tourism has grown significantly in recent years, tourism policies need to evolve to catch up with more tourist friendly countries. The immigration process deters many from travelling to the country. Many organisers felt that the Conference visa requirement should be done away with as this acts as a deterrent to travellers planning to visit India.
The shortage of hotel rooms and multiplicity of taxes lead to high prices in major tourist destinations in India making these centres less competitive as compared to places like Singapore and Bangkok. One of ICPBs roles will be to lobby with the central and state governments to rationalise the taxes applicable for tourists.
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The focus of this chapter is to look into the Indian Market context and suggest some strategies for positioning as well exploring emerging opportunities in the worldwide conventions market. The analysis of this chapter comes as a culmination of the analysis of the domestic and international market and emerging trends. Organisational changes and prescriptive guidelines are also suggested for leveraging emerging opportunities in the market.
Review of Market The South Asian economies are expected to contribute significantly to the global travel and tourism market in the next decade (2007-16). Based on an analysis of direct and indirect impacts of the tourism sector, WTTC has estimated that Travel and Tourism (T&T) will contribute about 7% to Indias GDP. Currently, tourism contributes to 2.4% of the GDP and rough estimates indicate that the conventions contribute to about 0.1-0.16% of GDP or 5% of total tourism revenues as shown in the figure below. Travel & Tourism Economy is Asia Oceania Region (growth vs. Share) Source: WTTC While the share of the conventions market is small compared to the total tourism market, India fares
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as well as other important convention destinations like Austria, China and the Middle East in terms of the size of this segment, which is close to the world average of 5-7%. However, the total tourism market for India is currently small as compared to the huge potential for growth. Indias share of 0.1- 0.16% (conventions market) of GDP is much less than the world average of 0.4-0.5% of GDP for larger well-developed economies, and an average of around 1-1.5% for smaller countries. There have been efforts from the state governments to set up convention centres in various destinations with public funds as well as private-public partnerships to promote convention tourism. These investments are expected to have a positive impact on the convention market in the country. In the following section, we assess two models for developing convention centres and related infrastructure. India- Tourism share in GDP as well as Conventions share in tourism revenues (Source: National Account Statistics of various countries) Currently,
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Currently, Indias Tourism share is close to 2.4% of GDP, whereas the share of conventions business as a percentage of Total tourism revenues is comparable with other key destinations. Singapore stands out because of its large share of conventions business in total tourism revenues with close to 30% of total tourism revenues. India is expected to increase its tourism shares (as % of GDP) in the coming years, with more tourism friendly policies and it is expected that conventions as a percentage of tourism expenditure would also grow.
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This section consolidates the suggestions made in the preceding sections. It summarises these recommendations in terms of roles that various stakeholders like Central and State Governments, and ICPB can play. ROLE OF ICPB ICPB needs to take up a more proactive role for marketing India as a conventions destination. It can collect and collate information on upcoming events all over the world- and identify partners, who can host such conferences in the country. This would keep ICPB abreast of the latest trends in the world conventions market and enable it to position India better among the peers. It needs to reorganise its structure, and focus on Geographical and sectoral specialisations by hiring professional managers. The larger share of conventions business takes place in the two cities, New Delhi and Mumbai. There is a growing need to spread the business in other major centres. Therefore, the organisation needs to reach out to PCOs and other stakeholders around the country by setting up at least 4 regional centres. In the short-term, the need is to utilise the available Convention Infrastructure efficiently. Careful planning and marketing is required to target specific conventions The sector suffers due to shortage of professionally qualified resources; ICPB should actively work with Government and Private institutions to develop curriculum for Conference and Conventions Management. In this regard, partnerships can be developed with leading domestic and international schools.
ROLE OF STATE & CENTRAL GOVERNMENTS ICPB would need to have access to greater funds for implementing its marketing plans and to develop its professional management team. The current funds are inadequate to run an effective marketing plan for the promoting the conventions business in this country. The Ministry of Tourism needs to supplement the funds made available to ICPB for implementing these changes. Leading conventions destinations, in Europe and North America, like Vienna, Warsaw, Prague, Toronto, charge a Bed Tax or a Tourism Tax in the order of $1 -$2, which is used to supplement the membership fees that City Councils and Convention Bureaus generate. This tax is again ploughed back in the different promotional activities, showcasing 143 | P a g e
recreational centres to create such a fund for ICPB.
2012
the cities. Similarly, a slabbed cess/ tax can be collected by Hotels, Restaurants and Other
Support from various government departments and local bodies are required to successfully organise any convention. ICPB can play the role of a single window agency to facilitate this process.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) can simplify the immigration for business and convention tourists. One of the areas of contention is the conference visa, which entails a cumbersome process of application, which deters many visitors to India. Further, there have been concerns about the inordinate delays in issuance of visa
Studies have indicated that current levels as well as the multiplicity of taxes (Luxury Tax, Service Tax) make hotel prices prohibitively high - adding up to 27-31% on the charges as compared to 10-12% in destinations like Singapore and Thailand. The government should also review the existing taxes and levies affecting the convention industry directly or indirectly- and simplify the process of taxation for tourists, as it makes the industry less competitive vis--vis other destinations. State governments like Goa and Rajasthan have already reduced their off-season tax rates to promote tourism. Other state governments can be motivated to lower taxes during lean months to increase visitor traffic and events.
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(5.4) IMPLICATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY
2012
The study indicates that there is a huge potential in the country for conventions business to take off in the coming future. A booming economy and a resurgent tourism sector augur well for the future of convention tourism in this country. However, there are substantial challenges faced by the Ministries and various stakeholders in terms of infrastructure development and policy reforms. Recent initiatives from the Finance Ministry to propose the Viability Gap funding is an acknowledgement of the fact that investment is required in this sector and this has been lauded as a positive step, which can contribute to the growth of conventions in the country. It is heartening to see that similar measures are taken up by other key ministries Ministry of External Affairs to issue Multiple Entry Business Visas as well as the Ministry of Tourism proposing the setting up Bed & Breakfast (B & B) centres in the national capital. Such forward-looking initiatives, along with a proactive market focussed ICPB and effective Public Private Partnerships can work together to make India a global conventions destination.
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Defects in The Promotion of Tourism in India With Special Reference To Mice Tourism

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Defects in The Promotion of Tourism in India With Special Reference To Mice Tourism

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DEFECTS IN THE PROMOTION OF TOURISM IN INDIA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO MICE TOURISM

States, Spain, Italy and Thailand

parks, casinos, shopping malls, music venues and theatres.

Korea, Chile, Argentina, Kenya and Tanzania. Mass tourism

Charminar in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh Famous Buddhist centres in Andhra pradesh

Lingapalem West Godavari District. Pilgrim centres and temples:

Lotus Temple Main article: Tourism in Delhi

Lord Krishna and Arjuna

Main article: Tourism in Jammu and Kashmir

The Hawa Mahal in Jaipur also known as Palace of Winds. 25 | P a g e

1.4(a) IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM

Destination (main destination) of a trip

characteristic goods 12. Country-specific

The overall research objectives are analysed as follows: 53 | P a g e

Do tourists actually find India as it is showcased in its Promotions?

Research can be classified in two ways

RESEARCH DESIGN AND PROCESS

A STUDY OF DEFECTS OF PROMOTIONAL STRATEGIES OF INDIAN TOURISM

2. Develop the research plan: -

c. Mechanical Devises: Mechanical devices are occasionally used in marketing research.

In my research work I had used questionnaire for collection of my research data.

i. ii. iii. iv. v.

Probability Sampling Probability Sampling: 1. Simple Random Sample:

Every member of the population has equal right of selection.

Complete method of surveying, coz of presence of data collector.

Personal survey can be done by 3 methods, Personal survey method

Mall Intercept Survey

Traditional telephonic method

Computer Assisted Interview (CATI)

The research period was 2 months i.e. approx.8 weeks.

Frequency of Travel as a part of MICE Travel

120 100 80 60 Low 40 20 0 Medium High

NEED TO SATISFACTORY EXCELLENT IMPROVE

_ Quality Accommodation- 45 Range: _ Conference Related 5

Options _ Travel Desk for Onward 2 Travel _ Recreational and 4 15 70 11 20 75 3

hospitality Centres _ VenueAesthetics, 1 Facilities, 12 78 9

Ambience, Hygiene, etc.

POOR NEED TO IMPROVE SATISFACTORY EXCELLENT

NUMBER OF CLIENT VISITING DESTINATIONS

AVERAGE NUMBER OF DAYS 2 1 1 1

Average Number of Days

Conference(MICE) Official Visits Other Places

Conference Venue Recreational/ Tourism Facilities 20%

Infrastructure Transport Prior Managemnt Accommodation Recreational Catering Additional Services

Convention/ Conference Political Stability Relatively easy Connectivity by AIR 80 65 20 25 35 0 10 10

Availability of Qualified Manpower to 55 handle event Ease of Immigration Process 80

Low 40 20 0 Medium High

Convention/ Conference Political Stability Relatively easy Connectivity by AIR 90 60 5 30 50 5 10 10

Availability of Qualified Manpower to 40 handle event Ease of Immigration Process 40

Low 40 20 0 Medium High

Opportunity of visit a new town, region 64% or country

Reasons For Visit

Personal Choice Location Security Regularity Exploration

Ranking of India as Mice Destination

Disadvantages of India as Mice Destination

60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Excellent Good Moderate Poor Very Poor

Ranking of Cities in India

Hotels / Tie-up with Associations / etc.)

Advertising Liaison Hotel Tie-ups

KEY CHARACTERI STICS OF BUS INESS TOURI SM (Source: www.businesstourismpartnership.com/pubs/Tony%20Rogers.pdf) 127 | P a g e

OTHER ATTRACTIONS 132 | P a g e

SITE ENVIRONMENT _ Climate: the desirability of the destinations climate 133 | P a g e